Skillstories

Worldskills UK competitions open for entry

Do you have the skills to be a star of your trade? The best of the UK’s young skills talent is being called on to enter the 2008 WorldSkills UK competitions. If you excel in a vocational skill, the competitions are a chance to gain recognition, be awarded and represent your country on the world stage.

Entrants can be in employment, training or education and participation is free. The deadline for applications to the WorldSkills UK competitions is February 28.

Middlesbrough Council Signs Skills Pledge

One of the Tees Valley’s largest employers has declared its commitment to staff training. Middlesbrough Council is the latest organisation to sign up to the Skills Pledge, a major initiative aimed at improving the skills of the workforce and making the nation more competitive and profitable.

Veteran of Train to Gain leads Upskilling Initiative in New Zealand

Twenty employees of Downer EDI Works, one of New Zealand’s largest infrastructure companies, recently gathered for a presentation and celebration as they received graduation certificates from Prime Minister Helen Clark. These 20 employees from all over country formed a representative sample of the 800 employees Works has put through TeamWorks, an on-the-job training programme aimed at building leadership skills through a strong underpinning of literacy, language and numeracy (LLN).

The ceremony was the result of the first partnership under the Upskilling Partnership Programme (UPP) between an employer, training provider, Industry Training Organisation, and the New Zealand government. The UPP draws from many of the lessons learned from Skills for Life. Programme director Jenny Thornton, who moved to New Zealand after five years on Skills for Life and Train to Gain says research and evaluation around the outcomes of LLN training is crucial for New Zealand.

Building on solid foundations at Shaylor

A commitment to staff training may earn companies plaudits in terms of industrial relations, but one Midlands construction firm will tell you that, actually, improving the skills of its workforce also makes plain business sense.

Aldridge-based Shaylor Construction is currently working with Stourbridge College to put 10 employees through level four NVQ in Construction Site Management via the Learning and Skills Council’s Train to Gain service.

The 10 are building their portfolios as part of their on site assessment and training - and Darren Cobb, Shaylor Construction’s group safety manager, has no doubts about the value it will bring to the company and the individual.

Darren said: “We shouldn’t underestimate the impression it gives our clients. It says not only do we develop our staff, but we offer them strong training.

“Once people gain those skills there’s a formal record we can show to third parties and customers.”

Staff skills blossoming at Tulip

Staff at food processing company Tulip are blossoming, thanks to a new training programme. Staff have been given the opportunity to increase their skill levels, and have been funded by the company.

After voluntarily signing a skills pledge, all 2,000 staff from the Bugle, Bodmin and Redruth sites will be trained in food and drink manufacturing to NVQ Level 2 standard.

Christine Powell, Tulip’s divisional human relations manager, said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to training as we firmly believe in allowing all of our staff the chance to develop their skills and gain qualifications.

“Some of our staff left school without any qualifications and never thought they would gain any in the workplace, but now they are very enthusiastic about their new skills and the training provided.”

Tulip has teamed up with Cornwall College Business and brokerage service Train to Gain, to provide their new training scheme.

unionlearn ESOL Survey

In August 2007, the funding arrangements for ESOL changed so that free provision would be confined to people on benefits (including working tax credit) Those who have an alternative means of proving low pay to the provider (e.g. pay slip) may be able to access additional support at the local level through extra money made available via learner support hardship funds.
The government’s aim is to encourage employers to contribute to the costs of ESOL training for their employees, and for individuals to pay where they can afford to.

Have the new funding arrangements for ESOL had an impact in your workplace? unionlearn is keen to collect information from ULRs and project workers about what’s happening on the ground now these new arrangements are in place.

Unionlearn would be grateful if you would fill in their short survey by clicking on the link below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=4wqrW_2fVNyd_2fzvtjcakwfwQ_3d_3d