Government Funded Apprenticeships – The Way Ahead for Employers
As from this week thousands of teenagers will receive their GCSE results, at a period when young people face challenging choices about their future, forward thinking businesses should consider hiring them ….. as apprentices. The search for talent is always a concern for businesses and by getting involved with apprenticeships, businesses can ensure that the skills critical to their success are not lost.
In England alone there are already more than 250,000 people taking up apprenticeships. ETS, alongside local Government agencies, is now working to give even more people, including adults, this valuable opportunity. There are numerous benefits for both the employer and apprentice, employers not only gain a highly motivated and loyal workforce, but can also see their productivity boosted, apprentices can also make a difference to their business from day one. Becoming an apprentice will also benefit individuals by improving their own career prospects whilst continuing to both learn and earn a wage.
Apprenticeships enable businesses to ensure that they have the right people, with the right skills, at the right time. With thousands of young people and indeed adults now considering what path to take, this is the perfect opportunity to find out what apprenticeships can do for your business throughout Cornwall, Devon and Somerset by contacting Katrina Raymont email kat@etsgroup.co.uk or telephone 01392 445444.
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Business Skills Academy
In response to the rapid expansion of the Government National Skills Academy Network, the Council for Administration is now working with ETS, as one of seven quality approved providers throughout the South West, prior to the official launch of its Skills Academy in Exeter on the 25th September 2008.
The regional network is designed to offer first class, employer-led business training and development solutions to both organisations and individuals in areas of Business and Administration, Customer Service, Leadership and Management. ETS were selected for their excellence in learning provisions, alongside their ability to give employers, employees and those planning to enter the workforce, access to outstanding quality training delivery throughout the region.
ETS are delighted to be part of this first regional academy and remain committed to contributing innovation, quality and value to its eventual success – For more information on this and other matters on the Academy please email Roz May – General Manager roz@etsgroup.co.uk
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Expansion into Somerset
ETS are pleased to announce their recent contract success with the LSC for delivering Mainstream (16-24) and Adult (25+) Apprenticeships throughout the county of Somerset.
From 1st August 2008 through to 31st July 2011 our recruitment schedule is now underway for 265 apprentices, with a company wide desire to sustain our present (as at 31st July 2008) 81% full framework achievement levels that we currently achieve for our Devon and Cornwall apprentices.
As a Somerset employer focussed on increasing the skills of your workforce for the future, in areas of Administration, Customer Service, Information Technology, Team Leading and Supervisory/Management at NVQ level 2, 3 please contact Laura Purchall on 01392 445444 to learn more about this Government, fully funded service. We can also offer levels 4/5 under a full cost recovery option.
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NEW MEASURES OF SUCCESS
The aims of the New Measures of Success programme are to: Measure the performance of Education and Training Providers more accurately and fairly, building on the sectors current strengths to identify and resolve any weaknesses.
The programme has 8 measures, these are: Qualification Success Rates - Value Added and Distance Travelled - Recording and Recognising Progress and Achievement - Employer Responsiveness - Value for money - Learner Satisfaction - Learner Destination and Staff Measures - ETS are pleased to announce the results of the first of these recently achieved new measures, for its’ Qualification Success Rates during 2006/07:
ETS’s TOTAL OVERALL SUCCESS RATES = 73.7% - COMPARED WITH THE NATIONAL AVERAGE = 60.2% - REGIONAL AVERAGE = 59% - LOCAL AVERAGE = 58% - We will bring you more information as and when we receive it.
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New Apprenticeships for Adults 25+
ETS is delighted to inform employers of its recent contract success with delivering this new pilot ‘Apprenticeship for Adults’ programme.
To date the vast majority of employers have only been able to take part in government funded training for their 16-24 year old apprentices. During this pilot phase Adult Apprenticeships have been made available across specific industry sectors. ETS is pleased to confirm that it is now delivering Young Apprenticeships for 14-16, 16 - 24 year old Mainstream Apprenticeships and now Adult Apprenticeships for the 25+ age group.
If you have employees aged 25+ who you think may benefit from taking up an Adult Apprenticeship place (eligibility rules apply) then please contact Katrina Raymont or Laura Purchall who look forward to dealing with any enquiries you may have.
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Our Skills Pledge For Employees
The Skills Pledge is a voluntary, public commitment from the leadership of an organisation, which supports all of its employees to develop their Basic Skills, including Literacy and Numeracy, and to work towards relevant qualifications to at least level 2.
Its purpose is to ensure that all staff are skilled, competent and able to make a full contribution towards the success of the company.
As from April 2008 ETS have now made their commitment to the government skills pledge. If you would like more information on the Skills Pledge or would like to register your interest in making the pledge please telephone the Train to Gain service on 08000 15 55 45 or visit their website at www.traintogain.gov.uk/skillspledge
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The New Training Quality Standard (TQS)
This recently introduced standard for employer responsiveness and vocational excellence uses an assessment framework to recognise and celebrate the best organisations delivering training and developing solutions for employers.
As part of a development programme for ‘Train to Gain’ and the achievement of this new standard ETS have recently received 5 days consultancy support from Ashridge Education and Skills which successfully ran from January to April 2008 and involved 8 members of staff including the General Manager and Co-Ordinator Team. The intended impact of the consultancy approach has been to – Improve strategic business thinking – To communicate more effectively - To be more proactive to business opportunities – To Identify what organisations want.
Certification against this standard will be tough, consequently it is something that all ETS staff are aspiring towards and become proud of when they achieve it. Currently the QIA is using ETS as its case study for the programme. You can find out more on this new Training Quality Standard by visiting – www.newstandard.co.uk
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Peer Review and Development
Peer Review is a process whereby professionals of similar status or standing exercise collective judgements about their Quality and Standards of provision, as well as shared responsibilities for their improvement.
Through the (QIA) Quality Improvement Agency and more locally, within the Devon and Cornwall Training Provider Network (D+C TPN) ETS is now working alongside a small group of Work Based Learning providers to enable rigorous judgements on both its Quality and Standards through an ‘Assessment Function’ which includes benchmarking and validation of self assessment and an ‘Improvement Function’ that includes joint action planning and support in the sharing and transferring of good practise.
This pursuit for Excellence through ‘Peer Review’ and many of our other benchmarks for success can only further benefit both our learners and employers and contributes favourably towards our clear Mission and challenging Vision by 2011. Should you need further information on this peer review process please contact the General Manager - roz@etsgroup.co.uk
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Additional Programmes for Learners
OCR are the leading UK awarding body, providing a wide range of qualifications to meet the needs of learners of all ages and abilities.
ETS are pleased to announce that they have recently been approved to deliver level 1 in Business and Administration which now provides a further foundation for supporting out existing mainstream Admin qualification at levels 2, 3 and 4.
ETS have also recently been granted ‘Direct Claim Status’ for its delivery of the ‘New Standards’ for Customer Service at Levels 2 and 3 allowing for the immediate application of certification for learners prior to later sampling through external verification from OCR. For more information on all of our OCR programmes please email alison@etsgroup.co.uk or visit ‘qualifications’ on this website.
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Learning Innovation Grant (LIG3)
Earlier in the year ETS were successful in the latest bidding round for an innovation grant for elearning.
The main aim for this grant is to promote and encourage innovation in the use of elearning whilst delivering work based learning to our clients. This particular project will focus on innovation within both teaching and learning that has a direct impact in improving the learning experience.
Just some of our measures for success will be to – Encourage learning in hard to reach locations - Supply a mobile teaching environment for small groups in outreach areas - Create further learner engagement through the supply of laptop/webcam facilities and populate the ETS Moodle site with quality elearning materials.
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Getting Teenagers Back into Training and Education
Connexions (Devon and Cornwall) is an advice service for 13 to 19 year olds and supports the transition to adulthood and working life by bringing together all the services and support that young people need in areas such as careers, health, housing and training/education.
Over the following 12 months (April 08 / March 09) ETS will now be working even closer with the Connexions service on behalf of young people aged 16-17 years in a ‘brokerage partnership’ which further supports Cornwall and Devon’s successful 2 year pilot with the ‘Learning Agreement Programme’. ETS will now rely on its own referral base, as a preferred supplier, and has gained a contract to deliver a 50 place programme.
For more information on how this programme can benefit you as a learner or employer please visit our ‘archive section’ on these news pages and search ‘Connexions Learning Agreements’
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Identify Training Needs
A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is an effective way to identify any gaps between the skills your business needs and those that your employees already have and will additionally involve the gathering of information to help identify areas where your employees could possibly improve their performance.
To carry out this analysis your organisation will need to: Analyse its Business goals and the skills required to meet them. – Determine any forecasted changes in products and/or processes that may affect employee’s delivery capability. - Evaluate what training is already in place for your employees and what training you feel you cannot supply in terms of in-house facility, funding or time. – Assess what gaps now need to be filled and decide on a suitable training method that suits both your Business and employees.
It is essential to assess skills gaps at all levels within a Business. If you would like our support with this please visit the ‘link’ from our ‘home page’ on this site entitled ‘Free Training Needs Analysis’ and make a further link to our online enquiry form. Alternatively, please phone our Business Co-Ordinator Maria Roberts on our Freephone 0800 731190-+2 who will be delighted to assist you with any enquiries.
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Workforce Development for Devon
ETS have recently been awarded a contract for Developing the Workforce throughout all regions of Devon.
The aim of this programme is to increase the skills of employees who are not yet ready to undertake a level 2 qualification and therefore will offer its clients, who are 25+, NVQs at level 1 or a first or second vocational level 2 qualification should learners’ previous achievements no longer be relevant to their current job role. ETS will also offer Adult Literacy/Numeracy at levels 1 or 2.
The projects focus will be on delivering Business Administration, Customer Service, ICT and Team Leading qualifications within small to medium enterprises in the local priority areas of Retail, Health, Engineering/Manufacturing, Construction, Hospitality and ICT, throughout Plymouth, Torbay and the rest of Devon. If you are an Employer/Employee wishing to take advantage of this Government funded programme please contact Katrina on kat@etsgroup.co.uk
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Young Apprenticeship Programme Cohort 5 (2008-2010)
ETS has recently received confirmation from the Sector Skills Body that it has been successful in its latest bid to deliver a 40 place programme for Young Apprentices aged 14-16 years of age.
This 2 year programme, funded by the Learning + Skills Council and starting in September 2008 will be led by ETS alongside local schools, employers, pupils and parent/guardians and will build on our most recent experiences with last years successful Cohort 4 programme in Business and Administration.
To find out more about taking part in this Cohort 5 Young Apprenticeship programme, should you be an employer, offering work experience and/or employment opportunities or school or pupil/guardian looking for different optional choices then contact Maria Roberts – Business Co-Ordinator at maria@etsgroup.co.uk or contact us on freephone 0800 7311902
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ILM – Further Diversity
ETS continues to develop its qualifications to meet the changing demands of its learner and employer clients.
From September 2007, in partnership with the Institute of Leadership ad Management (ILM), ETS is pleased to announce that they have now gained Centre approval to deliver the Award and Certificate programmes for both Team Leading and First Line Management at levels 2 and/or 3 respectively.
ILM was formed in 2001 by the merger of both NEBS Management and the Institute of Supervision and Management and is part of the City and Guilds group, which is the largest Vocational Awarding Body in the UK. For a breakdown of our Supervisory Programmes please contact Katrina on 01392 445444. For our Management support programmes please visit our ‘courses’ link from this website.
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CFA – World Class Skills
Business and Administration Skills are critical to the growth of the South West economy.
ETS are proud to announce their recent involvement with the Council for Administration (CFA) Regional Skills Academy, the first of its kind in the UK.
Business skills will encompass Administration, Customer Service and Management. The use of new technology and the development of e-skills will feature significantly throughout the work of the Academy. For more detailed information on the exciting role that ETS is playing within the academy please e-mail roz@etsgroup.co.uk
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Quality Matrix Re-Recognition
The Quality Matrix Award is a unique Quality framework for the affective delivery of Information Advice and/or Guidance (IAG) when learning and at work. ETS are delighted to have achieved re-recognition in meeting these rigorous standards for another 3 year term, up to December 2010.
The ongoing use of this standard will continue to allow ETS to make (IAG) both clear and explicit throughout the company, allowing those staff that are involved, to both monitor and evaluate their services more affectively.
Accreditation of this award is judged against 8 criteria which are equally divided between both the Delivery and Management of services that are given to our customers.
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Quality Management Systems – ISO 9001
ETS is pleased to confirm that it has again demonstrated its commitment to Quality Customer Satisfaction through its renewed accreditation for consistently meeting Assurance of its Quality Systems through ISO 9001.
These standards are based on several Quality Management principles - Customer Focus – Leadership and its Involvement of People – Process Approach – Systems Approach - Continual Improvement and Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships.
Working in partnership with SGS and its Global Brand (the worlds leading certification body) ETS aims to continually use, monitor and improve its management systems and processes to both enforce its reliability with meeting customer requirements and at the same time make a significant impact to increasing its overall performance levels.
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