Skills for jobseekers
Research shows that 1.3 million people go to work every day without the skills they require to do their job proficiently. Employers are increasingly investing in staff development and reaping benefits that include improved staff confidence and motivation, higher retention rates and increased productivity.
If your business is to be successful you need to compete, and to compete you need to train your employees. For businesses, getting the right skills advice is essential to choosing the best and most appropriate training.
What is Train to Gain?
Train to Gain is a new service from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to help businesses get the training they need to succeed. The service will offer skills advice and match business needs with Further Education and training providers. Both the training and advice offered by Train to Gain will be flexible, responsive and offered at a time and place to suit businesses.
Train to Gain aims to encourage all businesses and individuals to realise the benefits that learning and skills can bring. The service will enable many more adults to achieve a first full Level 2 qualification and to improve their basic literacy and numeracy skills. Train to Gain is important because without a skilled workforce businesses will not be able to compete; jobs will be lost and fewer people will be able to get the jobs they want.
Why is this service needed?
Skills shortages continue to have a negative impact on UK productivity and competitiveness in the face of fast-growing economies. 2.4 million workers in England do not have any qualifications (Skills in England 2005). This is recognised by all organisations who work in learning and skills and it is vital that we encourage businesses to invest in skills or risk losing their competitive edge.
Train to Gain will be a fundamental part of raising skills levels in businesses across England, enabling every individual to achieve their full potential and businesses to become more economically successful.
What kind of training will be made available and who will it be made available to and
Who will deliver Train to Gain?
Skills brokers will help identify and agree employers’ training needs and provide potential solutions. Once selected by the employer, the training provider will advise on the detail of relevant provision and how it should be delivered.
How is this funded?
The Skills Brokerage service is free for employers and is provided through the LSC. Some elements of the training delivered by Train to Gain will attract subsidised funding from government.
What are the benefits to employers?
Train to Gain can improve employers’ productivity and competitiveness by ensuring that employees have got the right skills to do the best job. Train to Gain will help businesses meet their skills needs by helping them choose the most suitable training provider/s and to get the best value for money from their investment in training.
Responsive:
Through Train to Gain, all firms, big and small, will see a real cultural shift in the way in which training is delivered to make it more responsive. Employers can set the pace as they will agree who, when and how people are trained with the skills brokers and providers.
Skills solutions:
Train to Gain will make it much easier for employers to find skills solutions to business problems. Skills for first full Level 2 qualifications are the priority for Government funding but that does not mean this will be the only level of qualification delivered, especially if the employer agrees to invest as well (so taking any subsidy even further).
Add value:
Train to Gain will mean employers have a service that really adds value to their business, which will be delivered to a high quality and is expected to provide solutions to their business issues and problems
How will individuals benefit from Train to Gain?
By 2012 85% of jobs will require skills and competencies at or around Level 3. By ignoring opportunities to gain further qualifications at Levels 2 and 3, individuals are limiting the choice of jobs available to them in the future and increasing the likelihood of unemployment. Making sure employees are skilled is good for employers too. By raising individual aspirations to achieve higher level skills, employees will be improving their contribution in the workplace.
A better trained employee will have more confidence in their abilities, pride in the skills which they possess, lead to a better quality of service and a sense of self-assurance. In real terms this can sometimes be achieved by possibly improving their language skills and understanding of English, or through a better grasp of technical instructions, or of computing skills.
Apprenticeships and Vocational Qualifications
Learn more about Apprenticeships and Vocational Qualifications
Aged 16 - 24? Click Here
Venture Foundation Learning
Venture Foundation Learning is a development programme for 16-18 year olds who are not currently training or employed.
Aged 16 - 18? Click Here
Work Placements
CMS has links with many local employers.
Service to Employers
Employees, Apprentices, training to existing staff.
For more information on our youth programmes and how to apply or the qualifications that we deliver, visit;
www.kirkleesoptions.org.uk
www.bradfordprospectus.org
www.cc-choices.co.uk
www.justaskwakefield.org.uk
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