Using Skills to climb the ladder

Tony Belmega, Skills Development Director – Train to Gain

Learning and Skills Council (LSC) East Midlands takes a look at how Train to Gain is helping employees across the East Midlands to climb the ladder by helping them improve their skills.

In order to move up the career ladder, earn more money and secure more satisfying work, skills are vital. They’re the key to a better job and a better life. We want the East Midlands to be a flourishing region where skilled people have good jobs and our businesses are profitable and competitive.

One way to achieve this is through Train to Gain. This service was launched in August 2006 and since then to September 2007 has helped 21,000 employees from 4,000 organisations across the East Midlands to access training worth over £18 million. The service offers businesses access to a specialist Skills Broker who will help them improve their business performance by offering training solutions for their employees.

And, while I am delighted that many local businesses have embraced the opportunity that Train to Gain offers them, many more are still missing out. We want to reach out to more people and more businesses across the East Midlands to give them the skills they need to climb the ladder of success.

A number of enhancements to the Train to Gain service have recently been announced, and these should help even more people, and businesses, to prosper and succeed.

Funding for the Train to Gain Service will double as part of an investment programme announced by Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, which will see more than £11 billion a year invested in education, employment and training.

The new improved service will offer:

* More funding for a broader range of skills. Part funding will now be available for some learners doing a second full Level 2 qualification and funding for Level 3 will be increased nationally. Skills for Life training will now be supported as a stand alone offer

as well as part of a full Level 2 qualification;

* The funding cap will be lifted for the best providers, enabling them to do more business as their performance improves;

* A massive boost for SME management training - the budget will increase from £4 million per annum to £30 million per annum, which will support some 60,000 key directors and managers in around 42,000 companies over the next three years;

* The LSC's National Employer Service will be expanded, with additional account managers to help more of the country's largest national employers, while skills brokerage will also be extended to help provide even more companies with specialist support;

* By working closely with Jobcentre Plus through their Local Employment Partnerships, Train to Gain will support people who have been unemployed to secure employment with training and progression on to higher level skills;

* New compacts with each Sector Skills Council which will tailor Train to Gain to ensure it meets the skills needs of employers in each sector - and joint investment planning so that public and employer funds work together to boost skills and improve.

So far the service has really helped people get started and progress in their careers and helped businesses to thrive and develop.

Companies like Constr uction Learning World (CLW) in Langley Bridge, Nottingham, who have become the leading provider of NVQs for the construction industry, following its launch four years ago, largely thanks to the training it has invested in its 130 employees.

Staff from all disciplines across the organisation have successfully completed NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 courses, with help from Train to Gain and support from South East Derbyshire College.

The help has enabled CLW to build a team of over 80 assessors and verifiers in construction, 30 of which joined as untrained construction workers, who have delivered more than 9000 NVQs in construction. Eight members of staff have also been trained to guide learners to make relevant choices and to enrol them on appropriate qualifications.

In order to fulfil their mission of developing the talents of individuals working in the construction industry, CLW have ensured that their entire workforce, from administration staff to assessors and verifiers, are trained to the highest level possible. The training has given their employees a new lease of life, which is not only fantastic for the business, but for their careers in the future too.

Now we’re working with the company again to source and coordinate new NVQ Level 3 and 4 training courses.

Sharpe Systems, a computer services and solutions company based at Westhorpe Business Park in Killamarsh, North Derbyshire is another company we’ve helped to develop. They employed a Sales and Marketing Officer to develop the business further. However, this didn’t impact on sales as much as expected and the company directors soon established that in order to take their business forward they must get training and find strategic direction. With advice from a Train to Gain Skills Broker, they decided to join a mentoring scheme and seek marketing advice from an external agency. The new skills and methods they’ve learnt have changed the way the business works. As a result they’ve seen 80% growth.

These are just a couple of examples of thousands of people and businesses from across the East Midlands who have been helped to develop their skills and prosper in their chosen careers thanks to Train to Gain, and with the increase in the service we are hoping thousands more can benefit.

Training plays a key role in improving business productivity and competitiveness and one in three businesses across the East Midlands are still not offering their staff training. I'd encourage all businesses to get in touch to find out about the new additions to the service and how they can benefit.

To find out more about how Train to Gain can help, employers should call 0800 015 55 45 or visit www.traintogain.gov.uk. Alternatively, individuals and employers can access the information they need on skills via a dedicated phone line and website. The phone number is 0800 011 30 30 or website: www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands