Devon and Somerset businesses to benefit from £2.5m skills training pot

GHQ Training has been working in partnership with Serco and their expert network of organisations to deliver a range of short courses around Devon and Cornwall. These courses are delivered with the vision to up-skill local small businesses and enable their growth.

The courses currently being offered are:

  • Introduction to Digital Marketing for Small Business
  • Introduction to Bookkeeping and Accounts for Small Business
  • Active Selling Techniques
  • Short course in the Principles of Management and Leadership
  • Report Writing Skills

We have received lots of positive feedback from those who attended these short courses. Here’s what the participants had to say when asked what they enjoyed most about the programme…

Report Writing Skills

Digital Marketing

Please see the following press release from Serco in regards to the contract extension of the skills training pot in Devon and Somerset…

Devon and Somerset businesses to benefit from £2.5m skills training pot

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Devon and Somerset are urged to take advantage of a £2.5m skills training pot for their workforce, as a result of a contract extension.

The training is available as part of a programme named Heart of the South West Apprenticeship Service which Serco’s Employment, Skills & Enterprise business manages across Devon and Somerset – working in partnership with the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Since the programme launched in September 2016, 1,067 learners from 372 businesses across the region have taken advantage of the free training available, which is co-funded by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency*. Serco has just been awarded a contract extension to continue delivering the programme until March 2019.

The programme aims to support growth across all sectors of the region’s economy by providing businesses, at no cost to them, with:

• Recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses aimed at enhancing employees’ skills and helping them to progress into Apprenticeships. Serco has partnered with local expert training organisations to deliver the skills training.

• Support to enable employers to take advantage of Apprenticeship opportunities that work for each business.

Businesses can select from a range of qualifications or mix and match individual units to support their work. These can include technical skills training and higher level skills such as leadership and management. Previous programme participants have benefited from increased employee confidence, motivation and productivity and improved employee loyalty and retention.

As part of Heart of the South West Apprenticeship Service businesses can also benefit from a support, advice and brokerage service that will help them to:

• Decide which Apprenticeships are right for existing employees
• Find a local Apprenticeship provider
• Find out what Government Funding is available
• Understand the implications of the Apprenticeship Levy to the business
• Solve recruitment challenges by explaining the services available on recruiting new apprentices.

Commenting on the contract extension, Rob Matts, Serco’s Head of Skills Support for the Workforce, said:

“We are delighted that the Education and Skills Funding agency are trusting Serco to continue making a positive impact to local communities in Devon and Somerset. Skills Support for the Workforce is a brilliant skills training programme which small businesses in Devon and Somerset can take advantage of at no cost to them. Thousands of people have benefited from this programme already and I would urge businesses to make the most of the funding available before March 2019, so that they too can benefit from this investment in vital skills training”.

Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Steve Hindley CBE DL, said: “The LEP aims to help businesses grow and to generate rewarding careers for employees in the Heart of the South West area, and this fully-funded skills training does both.

“I hope many more employers will take advantage of the support on offer to help them up-skill their workforce and improve their productivity.”

Businesses can contact Serco on hotswapprenticeships@serco.com or 01752 968026 for more details and to find out if they are eligible for funded training and business support.

*Figures correct as of 30 April 2018

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