BUSINESS NEWS: Skills workshop to boost future business prospects

UNDERSTANDING West Somerset employers’ skills and employment needs and providing good training opportunities to ensure competitive futures for local firms are some of the themes of a free workshop being held later this month.
The ‘Skills and Employment Workshop’ takes place at the Regional Rural Business Centre (pictured), off Junction 24 of the M5, on Monday, April 20, from 5 pm to 7 pm.
Businesses in West Somerset and Sedgemoor can discuss the upcoming training needs of workforces to help their businesses cope through the recession, and to capitalise on opportunities when the economic climate eventually changes.
The networking event has been jointly organised by West Somerset Council and Sedgemoor District Council to ensure local businesses are equipped for the future.
Councillor Michael Downes, West Somerset’s economic portfolio holder, said: “Fresh information in the face of the changing economic climate is needed so that we can, by working with other organisations, provide the skills and training local businesses want.
“By working with employers and skills providers to identify and address needs, we can help to put in place meaningful, targeted support and training.
“The evening is friendly and informal and all businesses are welcome, from the smallest to the largest local firms.
“Anybody can attend, in fact, who wants their business to grow and is willing to help us plan a better future for the local economy as a whole.”
Places at the workshop can be booked before April 15 by calling West Somerset economic regeneration officer Corinne Matthews on 01984 635287 or emailing cmatthews@westsomerset.gov.uk.
Anybody who cannot attend, but would still like to make the needs of their business known should contact Corinne Matthews to request a questionnaire.

More awards for training excellence at Foxes

FOXES Academy, in Minehead, has taken two titles in this year’s National Training Awards 2008 regional ceremony, held in Bristol.
The academy, which provides job training for young adults with learning disabilities, was represented at the presentations by principal Vanessa Cleere and head of vocational studies and training Kerry McCarthy.
They returned with a regional training award for outstanding benefits and effects as a result of training and a UK National Training Award as an exemplar of excellence.
Mrs Cleere said: “This was a fantastic result and is down to all the hard work, learning and training undertaken by both learners and staff at Foxes Academy. Congratulations to everybody.”
Foxes was one of four Westcountry organisations to win in the regional section of the UK National Training Awards.
The awards are given to entries which have demonstrated outstanding and exceptional achievement through training and development.
Sports commentator and former British hurdles champion, Colin Jackson, presented each winner with a trophy.
All four will now attend a national gala ceremony in London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on December 11 where they will be up against winners from other regions for the overall winner of the year prize in their category.
The academy was nominated in the category for ‘Hospitality and Catering Qualifications for Learners with Learning Disabilities’.
The National Training Awards celebrate businesses, organisations, and individuals which achieve outstanding success through training and development.
It is run by UK Skills on behalf of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and is sponsored by City and Guilds and supported by Investors in People.
Colin Jackson said: “I am delighted to take part again in the National Training Awards ceremony in South West and present the winners with their trophies.
“This year’s recipients have set the benchmark high and have proven that in today’s competitive market, high-quality training is an integral part of both personal and business development.”
The chairman of the South West judging panel, Martin Norman, said: “The South West winners clearly represent the benefits of better skills and training.
“They have proven that training can change a company’s performance and that it is an essential ingredient for success.”
UK Skills chief executive Simon Bartley said: “It is exciting to see such a broad range of examples of both personal and organisational investment in training.
“Each winner has a wonderful story to tell of the benefits their training has brought, from increased productivity to improved customer satisfaction to changed lives.
“The winners demonstrate that training is an investment not a cost and that it can transform companies, careers, and communities.
“I congratulate them all on what they have achieved.”
Higher Education Minister David Lammy said: “The National Training Awards foster a culture of learning, celebrate skills development, and make a real difference to the performance of companies and individuals the length and breadth of the country by challenging them to invest in their own development and future.
“The winners demonstrate the dynamic range of training taking place across the UK and the benefits of achieving excellence, and I congratulate them.”
Malcolm Gillespie, regional director at the Learning and Skills Council, said: “Organisations with skilled and qualified workers can expect to be more competitive, productive, and profitable, and the increased number of entries clearly illustrates a growing recognition of the benefits that skills’ training delivers.”
More information about the National Training Awards is available by visiting http://www.nationaltrainingawards.com/ and more information about UK Skills is available by logging on to http://www.ukskills.org.uk/.

Bike building workshops help former young offenders find jobs

FORMER young offenders are being given the skills to put their working lives into gear as part of Somerset County Council’s Geared Up project.
The county’s Youth Offending Team (YOT) has established the project, which invites young offenders to develop their social and mechanical skills repairing mountain bikes.
Geared Up encourages team working, and provides participants with valuable skills which can lead to employment.
The young people attend weekly workshops and work in pairs to repair and rebuild second hand bikes.
The sessions teach patience and co-operation as well as the practicalities of bike-building.
Geared Up participant Luke joined the project after being excluded from school and finding himself in trouble with the police.
He used the skills taught in Geared Up to find employment, and now volunteers to assist others on the project.
The scheme is open to those who have been through the Young Offenders programme, and are not in education, training, or employment.
The workshops are held in Bridgwater and a limited number of spaces are currently available, details of which can be obtained from Emer NcNicholl, YOT operational manager on 01458 440820.
Geared Up has received £7,500 from the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) which has funded the equipment, tools, and bike components used to date.
It is awaiting accreditation under the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN), which will enable the project to provide nationally-recognised qualifications to the young people involved, which will provide a boost to their CVs and improve their chances of securing a good job.
Emer McNicholl said: “Young people have greatly benefited from Geared Up, and their achievements have inspired them to make positive changes in their own lives.
“It is great to see former young offenders like Luke putting their troubled pasts behind them and helping others to do the same.”
Councillor Pauline Clarke, the council’s portfolio holder for strategic services for children and young people, said: “Somerset County Council is proud to champion the Geared Up project, which enables former young offenders to gain valuable skills and change their lives for the better.
“The council is committed to developing a high quality of life for the people of Somerset, and this project ensures a brighter future for both the young people involved and the community as a whole.”
Completed bicycles will be distributed to disadvantaged young people and victims of crime once they have been tested for road safety.

• Our photograph shows YOT youth justice worker Nick Foulkes (left) helping young people at a Geared Up workshop. Photo submitted.

Foxes is first Somerset college to receive Beacon Status

A PRESTIGIOUS Beacon Status award has been made to Foxes Academy, in Minehead, in recognition of its work in training students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Beacon Status is awarded by the Quality Improvement Agency and Learning and Skills Council to recognise excellent practice which deserves to be shared with others nationwide.
Foxes Academy is the first independent specialist college in Somerset to achieve the outstanding award, and becomes one of just over 100 colleges and organisations nationwide to be given the status.
It is a leading employer in Minehead and has achieved the award not only for excellent results and employability of their learners, but also by increasing their outstanding levels of training and ongoing pursuance of qualifications for all 77 members of staff.
The award ceremony was held on Monday at The Assembly Hall, Church House, Westminster, when seven members of the senior management team of Foxes Academy and three learners attended.
Photo submitted.