Training Matters Newsletter - June 2009

Recession Busting Opportunities for Norfolk SME's

Look out for the free courses and talks over the next few months as part of the Evolve project. Get support for your business or individuals responding to change, making decisions for the future and making the most of your potential with courses to give you the winning edge and talks to inspire.

Evolve is a central government funded local partnership between the University of East Anglia, Norwich University College of the Arts and City College Norwich providing specialist free training and support to help Norfolk through the economic downturn.

To find out more go to http://www.uea.ac.uk/nbs/evolve or email Janette Brown on j5brown@ccn.ac.uk to register your interest or find out more about these events.

Hugh J Boswell Reap Apprenticeship Benefits

Hugh J Boswell are a leading provider of insurance, risk management and financial services, providing insurance to big names such as Norwich City FC. They have been established in Norwich for 103 years and have progressively grown to employ over 40 staff.

Apprenticeships are playing a key role in supporting the continued development of the company.

“We are growing and have requirements for younger staff that can start from scratch. Recruiting is time consuming and costly, this is an ideal way for us to look for ambitious youngsters straight from school” said Peter Foster, Director at Hugh J Boswell (pictured).  “We hire a lot of people from other organisations but this is an opportunity for us to start from scratch, to get that rawness we can shape and get people really involved in our business".

Hugh J Boswell is currently recruiting two new apprentices in Providing Financial Services through City College Norwich. The successful apprentices will work within the company for 1 year earning as they learn and receiving fully supported training in the workplace. They will gain valuable industry experience and will train towards a relevant National Vocational Qualification (NVQ), Technical Certificate and Key Skills at an appropriate level making this an exciting opportunity to develop a career long term, with a leading employer.

HJB will also gain from financially supported training, free advice on training and development that is sector specific, advertising and recruitment assistance. “The big challenge is finding people” says Peter but this task should be made easier with the recent establishment of the Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service (AVMS), a national website and vacancy matching service, dedicated to apprenticeships and bringing together employers with apprenticeship vacancies and potential apprentices.

HJB believes strongly in training and supporting their employees throughout their careers. They have had a long established relationship with City College Norwich having had more than 20 staff train through the financial services academy for different levels of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) exams.

Peter says the company culture has been changing over the past years into one of academic excellence and accessibility. Employees receive the best training, which helps them ensure a very high standard of service and support to their customers. “We have found that we are creating a real core of people exchanging best practise, talking about there studies, their exams and working together.”

Peter himself started his career at 16 on a YTS apprentice scheme and is now a Director at HJB and he’s still studying along with his staff. “I want people to see that it can be done, this is not just a means to cheap labour it’s a means to a career”.

Axa Insurance teams up with BusinessFirst

BusinessFirst is proud to be engaged in a new training partnership with Axa Insurance, one of the leading insurers in the commercial sector, as part of a major commitment to apprenticeships by the company.

BusinessFirst are working closely with Axa to tailor the apprenticeship programmes to the needs of the company. Training is currently underway for a variety of departments and job roles, including claims handlers, insurance underwriters, contact centre and team leaders.  Training takes place within the company’s centres in Haverhill, Ipswich, Birmingham, Bolton and Morecombe.

The employees in these centres are offered the opportunity to undertake an Apprenticeship or Advanced Apprenticeship in Financial Services, Contact Centre or Team Leading (dependant on their job role).  The Apprenticeship training includes technical, vocational and key skills qualification, giving the employees a comprehensive qualification including underpinning knowledge and competency assessments.

The apprenticeship framework is structured by the Sector Skills Council and made up of different qualifications designed by the awarding bodies. However Axa have had a firm hand in the design and delivery of the specific training, and delivery was designed to meet the specific outcomes sought by Axa and customised to the needs and requirements of each office.  It is a very employer responsive process.

There are currently 85 Axa employees enrolled onto the apprenticeship programme with a further 100 planned by the end of 2009.       

The next stages of this significant programme is for Business First to extend the apprenticeship offer to other Axa sites, including Bristol Leeds and London and to offer further pathways of the apprenticeship programme, to include administration

Find Your Perfect Training Match

The Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service (AVMS) was recently launched to support the national goal of having 400,000 apprentices in learning in England by 2020. Apprenticeships are a growing area and offer great opportunities for business and employees.

AVMS is a national website and vacancy matching service. Potential apprentices can upload their CV’s, search and apply for apprenticeships and learn more about what it is like to work in a particular industry.

Effective staff feedback

Effective feedback to staff is an important management skill that is sometimes overlooked.  When giving feedback to your staff, think "BOOST": your feedback should be Balanced, Owned, Observed, Specific, Timely and Trusted.

Effective Feedback is information that you regularly give to an individual about how they have performed against a set of standards. It’s a way to let people know how effective they are in what they are trying to accomplish and it helps them to learn.

Royal Norfolk Show

1st and 2nd July, Norfolk Showground

Take a break from the crowds at the show, and join BusinessFirst and PeopleFirst for a complimentary breakfast muffin or afternoon tea, provided by City College students. Located within the Hotel School marquee, the teams will be delighted to talk to you about the many advantages to be gained from working in partnership with the College.

If you have never had to time to consider the overall skills base of your combined workforce, BusinessFirst offer a free Training Needs Analysis, for all local companies to enable them to identify areas in which your company might benefit from retraining and learning new skills. Many of our courses are ‘work based’, saving time and money and funding is often available.

A newly trained workforce can result in improved productivity, reduced staff turnover, increased competitiveness and a more motivated and happier team.

If on the other hand you are looking to develop fresh talent yourselves, PeopleFirst can supply you with keen and enthusiastic students for work experience placements, with a range of different skills. Talk to us about implementing a work placement programme in your company, or just taking one student for a couple of weeks and play an active role in shaping the next generation of potential employees.

New Department For Business, Innovation & Skills

Amid all of the media coverage and political speculation surrounding Gordon Brown’s leadership last month, it would have been easy to miss the fact that, in the ensuing Cabinet re-shuffle, a major new Department was created.  The formerly separate Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) and Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) have been merged to form the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) headed by Lord Mandelson.
 
The new Department – dubbed in some quarters a ‘super ministry’ because of its size – has an extensive remit (see below).  From the point of view of skills, the establishment of the new Department looks to be a positive development that should help to ensure that the further education and training system can be even more responsive to the needs of employers.

However, some observers – including the Association of Colleges’ Chief Executive Martin Doel – have questioned the timing of the change.  With the UK economy still in recession, significant changes from the last departmental reorganisation still coming through, and a General Election now less than a year away, the timing of such a major change is far from ideal.

Businesses will naturally want to know what all of this means for them and what practical help is available.  The Business, Innovation and Skills web site promises ‘Real Help Now’ for employers, and signposts sources of help with finance, business advice and support, and sets out the Government’s commitment to ensure prompt payment of invoices by its Departments.         

The key responsibilities of the new Department are to:

• Advocate the needs of business across government, especially of UK small businesses
• Promote an enterprise environment that is good for business and good for consumers
• Design tailored policies for sectors of the UK economy that represent key future strengths and where government policy can add to the dynamics of the market
• Assess the changing skills needs of the UK economy, especially the intermediate and high skills vital in a global economy and design policies to meets them through public and privately funded life long training
• Invest in the development of a higher education system committed to widening participation, equipping people with the skills and knowledge to compete in a global economy and securing and enhancing Britain’s existing world class research base
• Continue to invest in the UK’s world class science base and develop strategies for commercialising more of that science
• Continue to invest in skills through the Further Education system to help people through the downturn and to prepare Britain for the future
• Deliver on the government’s ambitious objectives to expand the number of apprenticeships
• Encourage innovation in the UK
• Defend a sound regulatory environment that encourages enterprise and skills
• Collaborate with the RDAs in building economic growth in the English regions
• Work with the EU in shaping European regulation and European policies that affect the openness of the single market and the competitiveness of European and British companies
• Continue to work to expand UK exports and encourage inward investment to the UK.

Vikki Bennett

Vikki joined BusinessFirst last November as the Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service Administrator and brings over 12 years' experience in recruitment, HR and training.  Vikki’s role is to help set up apprenticeships for new or existing employees and attract and recruit new apprentices.

Today’s apprenticeships are designed for the modern world of work and workplace and are tailored around your business needs. If you would like to enquire about Apprenticeships, please phone Vikki Bennett, City College Norwich, on 01603 773 382 or email v5bennett@ccn.ac.uk