Gaining a Competitive Edge The Skills Agenda

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Gaining a Competitive Edge- The Skills Agenda

• Blackburn College and Community and Business
  Partnership working together for local
  businesses

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The context

• Gment review by Lord Leitch by 2020 the UK
  workforce to be qualified to a minimum of Level 2
  (equiv to 5 GCSEs/GCE/O-Levels grades A - C)
• This is just to keep pace with the global
  economies such as China
• Recession has had an impact but Gment commitment
  to up-skilling/re-skilling of the workforce
  remains
• This is the key driver for funding to providers
  and dictates what can be offered to employers for
  no cost

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Training/Skills Benefits to you

• Research shows that employers who focus on the
  medium to long term as well as coping with the
  recession are much more likely to survive and
  grow
• Preparation for recovery ensuring your staff
  have the right skills so that you are best placed
  for when we turn the corner
• Real business impact Textile company in
  Manchester bespoke qualification developed
  huge reduction in fines

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Further benefits...

• Showing that you have qualified/trained staff is
  becoming more important when bidding for
  contracts
• Necessary when trying to achieve quality marks
  such as IIP and ISO
• Blackburn College has recently achieved the
  Training Quality Standard (TQS) demonstrates to
  employers we are a high quality, responsive
  provider of training (continuous improvement).
• We need it for contracts that we bid for same
  scenario as for many companies

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Did you know....

• There are many training programmes that are fully
  funded (ie no financial cost to the employer)
  through for example Train to Gain and
  Apprenticeships
• That the majority of the work we do with
  employers is delivered on the employers premises
  at a time to suit you we never assume you have
  to come to us
• That we develop bespoke training and
  qualifications with employers 36 Foundation
  degrees, NVQs, Commercial training packages are
  just a few examples

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Did you know....more!

• We work with employers to find the best delivery
  method including employer involvement in delivery
• Sector Skills Councils the voice of your
  sector.
• If you think the training or qualifications
  within your sector arent fit for purpose then
  work with us and the SSC to develop something
  that meets your needs
• Partnership work between employers, providers,
  Sector Skills organisations and awarding bodies
  is the way forward

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New qualifications? Diplomas what do they mean?

• Diplomas are new for 14 19 year olds, there
  will be up to 10 diplomas on offer from Sept 09.
• Its a mix of class work and hands on experience,
  some of the learning will take place in colleges.
• Its usually a 2 year course whichever level is
  studied
• Diplomas have 3 levels Foundation, Higher and
  Advanced
• Foundation 5 GCSEs at grades D to G
• Higher 7 GCSEs at grades A to C
• Advanced 3.5 A-levels
• Future developments include Progression/Extended
  diplomas

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Further national changes

• From September 2009 the National Qualification
  Framework reform will start to be implemented for
  all vocational training (not GCSEs or A-levels)
• All qualifications will be unitised and have a
  credit attached to them
• Build them up within a framework to create a full
  qualification totally portable between
  providers
• NVQs name?
• Funding? Units and/or full qualifications?

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Help for you... Innovation Vouchers

• Help for SMEs to buy support from knowledge based
  organisations, particularly Universities and
  Higher Education providers
• Up to 3000 year 1 and 7000 yr 2 to buy a
  voucher from nominated providers (including
  Blackburn College)
• Research and Development
• New products, services and processes
• Access significant new markets in technologies,
  or applications of national or regional
  importance 
• Contact Business Link for more information

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More help... Business workshops

• Following on from work with Guardian Angels the
  College is working in partnership with Wendy
  Bowers from Hilton Bowers and Paul Savage
• Offering SMEs free workshops to help them grow
  their business and to deal with the recession.
  Focus is on Finance and Marketing
• SMEs receive free training dvd and 15 qualifying
  SMEs will receive a 2 day mentor package
• Workshops all over Lancashire for the next 10
  months, started this week
• Information in your packs or speak to one of the
  members of staff from College on your table