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There has been a recent substantial increase in employers’ awareness of core skills. Employer Briefings were particularly well attended by a total of 206 employers, who were given the opportunity to take advantage of free support covering identification of needs and customised training packages. Employers are engaging in work related core skills development activity, including support to key staff identified as ‘Learning Centre Reps’ in those employers with Learning Centres.
Within the last year Birmingham & Solihull TEC has advised 154 employers about work related core skills, focusing on:
a) Identification of need linked to analysis of company processes and the core skills functions within these; combined with an assessment of employee work-related core skills training needs.
b) Development of customised training to develop the core skills required for specific work processes, or linked to developing the underpinning core skills required for specific training e.g. ‘Access to NVQ’ etc.
c) Intensive literacy and numeracy boosters related to specific workplace tasks.
The Partnership is supporting larger scale developments with clusters of employers on either a sectorial, geographical or specialist employer group basis. These activities are helping to ensure that the development activity impacts directly upon the bigger strategic picture of employer development both within specific sectors and on a city-wide basis.
Examples of these activities include:
- Work with the Human Resource Forum of the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Sector to develop a range of vocationally relevant ‘Skill Scans’ which will assist identification for individual work related core skills needs. These ‘Skill Scans’ will be used with new employees as part of their induction process.
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- Working with Birmingham Specialist Community Health to enhance the core skills element within their Induction Programme. This development includes the identification of vocationally specific core skills within the competence based induction programme and the training of key in-house staff to deliver this programme.
- Working to develop core skills elements in the Birmingham Asian Business Association Business Support Programme. The project seeks to assist five main business sectors: retail, balti restaurants, manufacturing & engineering, leisure, service & cottage industries.
- Development of a core skills assessment package within a business/enterprise context and training of supplier staff in the use of this package. Follow on activity will include enhancing the business counselling sessions to include development of relevant business related core skills.
- Working to develop the core skills element within the current Meat Livestock Commission Health & Hygiene Programme. Issues have been identified within Birmingham related to basic skills & language needs hindering approximately 300 butchers from completing this necessary course. The ‘standard’ course will be enhanced in order to encourage the development of vocational language/literacy skills and assist butchers achieving this certificate.
The Partnership has also been involved in three national projects:
- Piloting intensive work related basic skills linked to specific processes in the manufacturing and hospitality sectors.
- Trialling of the computerised Skillsbuild materials within Birmingham SME’s as part of the Basic Skills Agency’s National ADAPT Project.
- Developing public sector awareness of work related core skills by trialling intensive core skills development activity in the health sector.
There is much more to be done to develop employer awareness, develop expertise in training organisations, and training to target those staff across the city who are involved in advisory ‘first contact’ roles. |
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