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Train to Gain: It pays to develop the skills of your workforce
One of the most effective funding initiatives by the Government is to help you increase the skill levels of your employees. You are encouraged to review your company’s strategy and ensure that all staff development and training will effectively support your business objectives. Then you need to specify the actions required to develop the strategy through an organisation and development plan agreed with your staff.
- Review the company’s HRD strategy to ensure that all staff
development and training will effectively support the business
objectives.
- Specify the actions required to develop the HRD strategy through an agreed organisation and development plan
- Specify the training and development requirements through an agreed Organisation Learning Plan.
- Review provision options through introduction to the local
provider network, and provision of on-going brokerage support, as
required, to assist the implementation of the development plan and the
learning plan
- Introduce organisations to the Investors in People Standard and support them towards assessment and review.
In addition to this one-to-one advice, you may be able to find existing training programmes that are available including:
- Work-based Learning
- Sector led programmes, e.g. automotive, metal skills industry, electronics, energy and optronics
- Subsidies each time you employ a worker who has been made redundant from a company in the last 6 months
- Leadership and Management Development Workshops
- Support for apprenticeship training.
Organisations may receive discretionary funding from £1,000 to £50,000 depending on size and economic importance. The grant can be used for most training and development needs outside of the existing programmes – up to 70% match funding any training needs identified by the HRD Advisor.
There are several initiatives throughout the UK – constantly being updated. For more information click here.
Workforce development initiatives are now much more flexible, responsive and tuned in to the needs of employers, especially small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with under 250 employees.
Training the workforce to be ready for an upturn is crucial in preparing the UK economy for the future. Firms should take the opportunity to upskill their managers too, since a number of reports have indicated that there is room for improvement:
“...there is some evidence...that UK companies adopt more modern management techniques...later and less often than their competitors...”
DTI: UK Competitiveness; Moving to the Next Stage 2003
“...a substantial gap between the performance of the top 25% of organisations and the bottom 25% due most probably to better management and business practices in the top quartile of firms...”
Cranfield University: Closing the Gap 2003
“...poor management means that British workers waste more than a third of their time at work...largely as a result of insufficient management planning and control, and inadequate supervision...”
Proudfoot Consultancy: Managing for Mediocrity 2004
One of the most popular programmes with SMEs is a training course to build the skills and knowledge required to become effective in a team leader/supervisory role. Courses can be delivered as a series of workshops giving team leaders the confidence to build on their experience and improve their effectiveness. Organisations gain by the development of:
- Competent team leaders able to make more informed operational decisions
- Competent team leaders able to improve team performances
- Team leaders committed to continuing professional development.
Most programmes are suitable for new team leaders entering first line management and experienced team leaders needing structured development.
Another well used programme is the NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques (BIT). The qualification aims to improve business performance as a whole. To achieve the award of the NVQ in BIT a candidate must be able to demonstrate that they have delivered sustainable improvement activities which have delivered direct Quality, Cost and Delivery benefits to their organisation. The NVQ in BIT also demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to employee training, drives a reduction in health and safety issues and validates the quality of the workforce capability to current and potential customers.
The award of an NVQ remains with a candidate if they move within an organisation or to a new organisation and provides qualified evidence of their capability. It is therefore a valuable qualification for the individual as well as for the organisation.
Government has recognised that during the downturn some employers may be facing the difficult decision to make staff redundant. With that in mind, they are currently in the process of putting together a range of new measures to help workers facing redundancy. If any member of staff is made redundant when they are part of the way through their training programme, there may be an opportunity to continue to fund their training, even after they have left employment.
For the latest information about grants and funding to develop your staff, click here.
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