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Businesses in Oxfordshire are
benefiting from a
service that makes sure their staff have the right
skills to do the best job.
.jpg) The Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network and our member
groups are working with the
Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to alert local business to the financial and practical support available through
Train to Gain.
Train to Gain works in five simple steps
- Identifies the skills your business needs
- Provides you with a tailored training package that fits in with you and your employee's work schedule
- Ensures training is delivered to meet your needs - including all training towards NVQ Level 2 or
equivalent (equal to 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above), Skills for life programmes, higher level skills and a
wide range of other training for your staff
- Identifies whether training can be subsidised by funding
- Helps monitor your progress
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Case Study - Floors 2 Go
Floors 2 Go, the largest real wood and laminate flooring specialist in the UK, started in 2003 with 142
stores nationwide. Floors 2 Go employs 650 people in the UK with four to five members of staff
at each store.
Through the skills broker assigned by the LSC, the Oxford store of Floors 2 Go was matched with
Oxford and Cherwell Valley College to deliver a training programme that would suit their needs.
Andrew Birkett, store manager at Oxford Floors 2 Go, said: "The Train to Gain service has been
very effective for our employees. They have shown initiative and overcome barriers by being more
confident and proactive in the workplace."
Floors 2 Go currently has three members of staff in the Oxford store training through Oxford and Cherwell Valley College.
Dale Bond, assistant manager for Floors 2 Go's Oxford store, is undertaking on-site training at the
company's premises. Dale, who is working towards an NVQ Level 2 in Customer Services, said:
"Before
this I had no qualifications, I understood the importance of customer services but this course
has given me a much more indepth understanding. The course goes beyond customer service
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we cover much more, including staff issues.
I am now able to provide a better service to customers who walk through the door. My confidence
has been boosted and I am far more driven to meet targets. Ultimately, sales have gone up, so
the company has already benefited from this."
At Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, staff delivering NVQ qualifications meet with the
employers and learners for an initial sign-up session where they discuss the learner's needs
according to their previous qualifications, experience and job role. The College has shown great
flexibility in the delivery of Train to Gain courses which is proving to be a further benefit to local
businesses.
Vitalija Skarbaliute, Train to Gain coordinator at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, explains:
"After an assessment has taken place, assessors are able to tailor the programme according to the
needs of the candidate. For example, suitable timetables are agreed and appropriate modules
are chosen from the qualification." |
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How it works
Working closely with a highly experienced Train to Gain skills broker, you can provide quality, affordable training
for your employees. Together you can:
- Identify the skills your business needs
- Pinpoint the right training
- Agree a tailored training package
- Find available funding
- Review the progress you are making.
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Fact
LSC research shows that in Oxford, 29 per cent of adults in the workforce
lack a basic level 2 qualification, equivalent to five good GCSEs and the benchmark of a minimum standard of education needed to get on in working life. |
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