Skillstories

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Business Drivers

Minimise health & safety risk exposure.

Reduce employee turnover.

Increase employee flexibility.

Encourage a learning culture at all levels.

Implementation

All employees will be assessed annually using Skills Matrices directly linked to defined job roles. The process is only in place for operational employees at present. Additional skills training occurs as a result of the "re-training" process which in turn is based on defined "out of date" periods for each job role. A multi-skilling target is also in place based on a minimum of three skills per employee and three employees per skill.

All staff receive annual appraisals from which self-driven development plans are agreed.

A Skills for Life Learning Centre providing literacy, numeracy & I.T. skills training was launched on 31st October 2007, with courses for a pilot group of 49 operational employees. The Learning Centre has Macclesfield College, Stoke College and Unite the Union as partners.

Partners

Business in the Community: Attendance at Skills Practitioners network meetings held quarterly. Invaluable for best practice & lessons learned.

North West Development Agency & National Skills Agency: Advice, Support & Guidance at quarterly meetings held on our site (Last review in September 2007)

Macclesfield College: Providing ESOL, Skills for Life, "off-the-shelf" and bespoke training courses based on our needs in terms of content & training dates. Development of a "Business Forum" for local large & small businesses to work together to improve skills in the local area. Meetings to take place every six weeks. First meeting on 20th November 2007 with Business in the Community Account Manager for the North West invited to participate.

Stoke on Trent College: Providing Skills for Life training.

Unite the Union (previously AMICUS): Free skills training to all their members. Union Learning Rep & Learner Support Certificate training for our seven Union Learning Reps. The offer of free training to any of our employees subject to acceptance on a course by course basis. Part of this agreement requires a "Learning Steering Committee to be in place with equal attendance from all partners / management team and Union members. First meeting due to take place by end of 2007 with further reviews every six weeks initally & monthly thereafter.

Impact

Skills Training only recently started in earnest. Too early to publish real benefits achieved. Further information will be added in due course.