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Businesses shape up with Train to Gain
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) this week completed the roll out of its new flagship service, Train to Gain, across the south-east. The new service is designed to help businesses throughout the region get the training they need to succeed.
Train to Gain will make growing businesses more competitive by giving them access to a free skills broker service through Skills South East, a partnership of the six Business Link service providers and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
The skills broker will act like a personal trainer, assessing an organisation’s skills needs, drawing up a fitness plan and putting the organisation in touch with local training and skills providers, who will help them shape up for the future and sharpen their competitive edge.
Talking about the new initiative and its implications for businesses in Surrey, Bob Walding, area director for LSC Surrey, said: “Train to Gain is a dynamic new way of working with employers. It is designed to put an organisation’s skills development needs first and ensure that training provision is much more responsive to their needs. We know that across Surrey 21% of the workforce lacks the basic Level 2 qualification*, which is generally regarded as the minimum set of skills and competencies needed to get on in working life. This compares to 24% in Berkshire, 29% in Hampshire and 31% in Kent. Clearly this skills gap has implications for businesses across the region. Train to Gain has been designed to plug this gap and provide business-led training.”
Rob Donnelly, Skills Broker in the Surrey region said: “These days in a competitive business market it is the survival of the fittest. Skills brokers can help you by kick-starting your fitness campaign so that your people are skilled and ready to meet the challenges ahead.”
LSC research shows that nearly a third (30%) of employers in Surrey have not invested in vocational, Apprenticeship, or NVQ training over the last 12 months. This compares with 28% in Hampshire and 39% in Milton Keynes.
By August 2008 Train to Gain will have engaged with 16,000 employers and 54,000 learners in the south-east. To find out more about getting your business fit please call Train to Gain on 0845 751 2288 or email info@traintogainse.co.uk or visit Train to Gain www.traintogain.gov.uk
*A qualification equivalent to five GCSEs at grades A* - C
