Skills Archives - Page 22 of 28 - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

A former A level student is urging young people to consider apprenticeships as way of realising their career ambitions after finding his own success through the hands-on training route.

Nissan apprentice, Stephen McCarron, 20, from Wallsend, has shown that despite widespread perceptions that apprenticeships are less valuable than a degree, they are in fact a great way to fast-track your way into a highly skilled job.

Stephen started a five-year apprenticeship in September last year after completing A levels at Burnside Business & Enterprise College and then deciding the academic route at university to become an engineer wasn’t for him.

He is now working his way through a course that is helping him to fine tune his skills in everything from electrical installation, electronics and circuits and mechanical work to welding and computer aided design (CAD). All while earning a wage and taking the opportunity to develop softer employability skills to help him make the move from education into the workplace.

Stephen, who is completing the course at Gateshead College’s Skills Academy for Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics at Team Valley in Gateshead, said: “I’ve always wanted to train as an engineer and after gaining good grades at A level, thought that university was the only option for me. I soon decided that the academic route was too focused on theory and that I’d like to work more on my practical skills.

“Taking up the apprenticeship is the best career move I could have made. I’ve progressed far quicker than I would have doing a degree and an added bonus is I’m earning a wage while doing it.”

Judith Doyle, principal and chief executive at Gateshead College added: “Moving on to university after studying A levels is not for everyone and some people are more suited to learning in the workplace rather than spending the majority of their time reading textbooks. That’s why it’s vital to provide young people with clear, impartial and valuable career advice to help them pick the right career path.

“While university can be a valuable experience for some, we want to put the message out there that there are some fantastic apprenticeship opportunities open to those who want to fulfil their career ambitions. It’s not just academic learning that can get you higher level qualifications or help you to secure a highly skilled, prestigious job. Apprenticeships allow you to earn a wage while getting that all important work experience under your belt as well as highly desirable qualifications.”

Gateshead College’s careers advisors provide friendly, impartial and expert advice on which learning path is right for you. For more information, call call 0191 490 2245 or visit gateshead.ac.uk

The Department for Education published proposals on 12 August 2016 for a new funding model for apprenticeships and further details on the apprenticeship levy. They have stated that the funding will “support people of all ages to gain high-quality skills and experience and help employers to offer more training opportunities and build a skilled workforce.”

The Apprenticeship Growth Partnership (AGP), a group with representatives from North East businesses, the public sector and training providers within the region, was set up by the North East LEP to co-ordinate apprenticeship provision and contribute towards Government’s target of three million starts by 2020.

The AGP welcomes the Government’s latest plans regarding apprenticeships and the apprenticeship levy. The extra support available for small businesses will help make apprenticeships a more attractive proposition for many, and we will work closely with Government to inform the approach for larger organisations.

Apprenticeship graphic

Funding bands will be introduced in order to set limits on the amount of government or digital funds that can be used for a single apprenticeship. The aim is to support quality training while ensuring apprenticeships are affordable for individual employers and deliver value for taxpayers. Every apprenticeship will be placed in a funding band, and employers can negotiate the best price for the training they require.

For more information on the levy, and funding bands, click here.

Have your say

The new system will be introduced on 6 April 2017. A consultation on the plans is now open, and will close on 5 September, with the final proposals due to be confirmed in October 2016. We have the opportunity, through partners, to provide feedback on the proposals and welcome comments from employers, large and small.

If you have any feedback, or would like further information on the levy, contact: [email protected]

Businesses in the North East are set to benefit from a series of events to help them boost their online sales worldwide in a new initiative from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

UKTI are offering free training to companies who want to improve their digital skills and sell more internationally. The training covers topics such as how to ensure a website is optimised for international success and how to sell online in other countries on emarketplaces such as Amazon.

Boost your International Sales Online is being delivered at events throughout the North East region with the next event taking place on Thursday 11 August at Newcastle City Library.

The new initiative is also being supported by the Local Economic Partnerships. Following on from the workshop, businesses will be offered ongoing support through UKTI’s E Exporting Programme and other partner resources.

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Notes to Editors
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the Government department that helps UK-based companies succeed globally and assists overseas companies to bring investment to the UK. We lead the whole of Government effort to help UK firms win business overseas and rebalance the economy towards export-led sustainable economic growth. For more information on UKTI, visit www.gov.uk/ukti.

UKTI has recently launched an expanded package of help for first time exporters including ExportSavvy, an online programme for companies with bite-size briefings on all aspects of exporting. Export Insight Visits are tailored first time exporters and will give them experience of working in a foreign market. It will give them the introductions they need to market experts and companies already working abroad.

The Careers and Enterprise Company has recently launched a request for bids from organisations to deliver its National Mentoring Campaign at a regional level. The objective is to grow the number of high-quality, employer-led mentoring relationships across England, ensuring that each year 25,000 young people at risk of disengagement in the run-up to their GCSEs have a mentor in place by 2020.

Local enterprise partnerships have been asked to provide a list of priorities for mentoring in schools in the region, to help organisations ensure their bid is sufficiently regionalised.

Michelle Rainbow, Skills Programme Manager at the North East LEP, gives her guidance on the priorities:

To ensure the continued economic growth of the North East region, developing young people with appropriate skills, attitudes, behaviours and qualifications is a key focus of our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

We are leading innovative initiatives that support schools, teachers , students and business to bridge the gap between education and the world of work, helping to shape a more ‘joined-up’ and collaborative approach to business engagement in education.

The North is LEP is leading the ‘Career Benchmarks’ national pilot, testing the implementation of the eight benchmarks of ‘Good Career Guidance’ outlined by the Gatsby Foundation. Two benchmarks focus on the important role of employers – specifically, providing the framework to inspire students towards further study, enable them to make informed decisions about career choices and help them to understand enough about the world of work to know what skills they need to develop to succeed in it. This work is important to social mobility in the North East because it helps open students’ eyes to careers they may not have considered. The eight benchmarks provide schools and colleges with a comprehensive structure as to what makes a good, effective and meaningful programme. One of the ‘key’ characteristics of the Gatsby Good Careers Guide is that to ‘fully’ achieve each of the eight benchmarks ‘all and every’ student across Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 should be actively involved and benefit from that involvement.

The Careers and Enterprise Company’s Enterprise Adviser Network initiative provides schools with volunteers drawn from businesses who will work directly with the school’s leadership team to develop effective employer engagement plans which focus on supporting schools with Benchmarks five and six.

The National Mentoring Campaign through the Careers and Enterprise Company should create positive human connections that empower and motivate both the business mentor and mentee. Young people with mentors, especially those who are at risk of disengagement, have more positive visions of themselves and their futures, and achieve more positive outcomes in schools, work and life.

In the North East, we believe business mentoring can be designed in such a way to help deliver the SEP and would expect potential mentoring programmes to align with our regional priorities, adopt and support the implementation of the career benchmarks by clearly demonstrating how the potential programme will contribute to supporting particular groups of students within the ‘all and every’ agenda. It is important that any mentoring programme complements and extends (rather than duplicates) any existing provision in the region and that any programme is clearly focused to address identified needs. The programme must also clearly demonstrate how businesses will be identified, approached and engaged in the region and how this work will support the very successful Enterprise Adviser initiative – ensuring businesses are supported to deliver high quality, focused and impactful work with young people.

If your organisation is interested in bidding for funding for the Mentoring campaign, please download the following documents:

To contact Michelle for more information, call 0191 338 7439 or email [email protected]

Do you want to increase your international sales online? UKTI’s “Go Digital to Boost Your International Sales” free taster session is full of top tips, case studies and practical examples to help grow your business.

Download further details of the event here: UKTI Digital Marketing Taster Session July 21 2016.

Presented by UK Trade and Investment, (UKTI), in partnership with Norma Foster Associates and Business Durham, this workshop will show you ways to win more international business online and develop your digital skills to create an action plan for success.

For more information, contact Sue Beverley, E-Commerce & Digital Trade Adviser on 07966222258 or email: [email protected]

A training provider has opened a second office in Sunderland as it gears up for growth.

(Photo caption: director of Milltech Training, Derek Freeman and some of his team)

In addition to a city centre training facility, Milltech Training have opened a second office at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) acquiring over 2000 sq ft of office space.

The company, which boasts an 88% success rate and Grade 2 Ofsted, has moved into the BIC’s Riverview to focus on recruiting adult learners onto management courses as well as providing new 16+ apprentices for businesses in the city centre and at the BIC.
With just over 250 apprentices on Milltech’s books and over 21 employees, the company were keen to offer two locations to suit all employer and learner needs, director Derek Freeman explains:

“Most of the businesses we work with are within a 40 mile radius of Sunderland so to offer facilities at the BIC with ample free car parking makes sense. Likewise a lot of our learners either rely on lifts to our training centre or public transport so to retain presence in the city centre made perfect business sense.
“We are delighted to join the BIC’s business community, with over 140 businesses on site we hope that we can continue to build on our existing strong connections at the BIC. We wanted somewhere that our employees could feel proud to work and I feel that the BIC is the best environment.
“We needed a large space all on one floor and one that could also offer private offices and a training room, and Riverview at the BIC was ideal. We wanted to ensure we had a large presence in our own building.”
The company is now into its 33rd year of operations and works with over 350 local businesses in recruiting and training existing staff in administration, management, and customer service, team leading and motor vehicle. Derek continues on the benefit apprentices can bring:

“With our learners who have recently left school there will be a unique opportunity for the employer to mould them into their own business ways and routines and ‘growing your own’ and bringing a high level of loyalty to the employer. The minimum wage for a learner is also below the equivalent for a non-apprentice also giving a small economic advantage.”

David Howell, director of operations at the BIC added:
“As Derek mentioned the BIC have worked closely with Milltech in the past, we have had many apprentices from the company which I am pleased to say of which 10 have been able to gain full time employment with businesses on site.

“We welcome Milltech to our community.”

Call Abby or Suzanne at Milltech Training for more information on apprenticeships or adult learning 0191 510 0414 or email: [email protected] or visit www.milltechtraining.co.uk

For more information on the space available at the BIC call the team on 0191 516 6066 or visit www.ne-bic.co.uk

ENDS

Media Contact
Sarah Spence
0191 516 6073
[email protected]

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is seeking reassurance that European (EU) funded projects already signed off by Government will continue to be delivered.

To date, the North East LEP area has £89.5million of its £437million EU structural funding committed to projects for the 2014-2020 period.

A further £104.5million worth of projects were put forward to Government for approval in advance of the Referendum.

Collectively these projects will support over 7,400 businesses across the North East LEP area, which covers Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, driving growth and job creation.

The funding will also support almost 30,000 local people into employment and provide those in employment with the skills they need to progress in work.

Chair of the North East LEP Andrew Hodgson said: “We are hopeful that these projects will be honoured by Government and deliver important support to businesses and local people before Brexit happens.

“It is important to realise we will not be immediately losing the opportunities that EU funding has historically brought to the North East.

“Millions of pounds of projects are still likely to go ahead, bringing new jobs and closing the skills gap in the North East. The truth is that we just don’t know yet if or when we will see changes.

“EU funding has hugely benefitted the North East over the last few decades and we are lobbying Government for clarity and seeking assurances that any potential future funding gap will be filled. We urge the Government to provide this guidance quickly to ensure opportunities to create jobs and growth are not lost.”

There is no formal Government guidance available currently following the EU Referendum result on the amount of European funding that will be available in the future for North East businesses and organisations beyond the projects already approved.

Unique North East England initiative to develop new careers and skills

A dynamic private sector led partnership in North East England is working with education to develop a new way of attracting talented young people into construction.

The innovative skills and careers programme, a first for the UK, is set to shake up the traditional way people are recruited and trained in a sector which shapes towns, cities and communities.

A powerful partnership of designers, builders, and project managers who operate in the ‘built environment’ have come together to campaign for change, to address the skills gap while also creating more valuable people through a new architectural engineering and management programme.

PlanBEE (Campaign for Change in the Built Environment) was launched by Ryder Architecture in 2013 and the campaign now also includes the support of Arup, Brims, Cundall, Desco, Esh, FaulknerBrowns, Napper Architects, Sir Robert McAlpine, Summers Inman, Surgo, Turner and Townsend, Xsite, 3eConsult, NELEP, RICS and ICE. Further partners are joining.

They have joined forces with the region’s leading further education organisation, Gateshead College to help devise a new way of recruiting and training young people for a career in the construction sector.

The new higher skills apprenticeship programme will be formally launched at Ryder’s home at Cooper’s Studios, Newcastle on July 25, 6pm-8pm.

Mark Thompson, managing partner at Ryder, said: “We’re delighted to have Gateshead College on board, alongside a number of universities. The facilities and staff at the college will provide valuable support throughout the course, ensuring cohorts receive the right balance of quality in-house educational content and hands on training with our business consortium members.

“We believe PlanBEE will inspire a new generation of bright, talented people to consider a rewarding career in construction. The blended learning approach, which includes residential elements alongside traditional day release, aims to deliver work ready graduates with the creative, practical and entrepreneurial ambition the industry needs to evolve.”

Gateshead College has devised an outline programme that gives new recruits a broader set of skills to ensure greater inter disciplinary working across the construction industry. Chris Toon, deputy principal at Gateshead College, explained: “This is a genuinely exciting and innovative programme we’ll be offering people from this September.

“It’s a great example of how Gateshead College is taking its strong links with regional employers, listening to their concerns and then working in close partnership to find innovative solutions for complex issues. You have to be responsive and that is how we work.”

Employers across the sector have increasingly felt that current qualifications and degree courses are no longer fit for purpose; there needs to be a greater convergence in the skills traditionally sat within the disciplines of architecture, engineering, surveying and construction.

Meetings between Gateshead College and businesses have fine-tuned the higher skills apprenticeship programme that launches this autumn. The programme provides study and off the job training at the college’s modern construction facility on Team Valley with a job working with some of the region’s leading companies.

It has been tailored specifically for and by the North East construction sector. It provides students with a starting salary of £10,000 per annum, a professional qualification and a guaranteed job opportunity on graduation. The degree stages will be provided by a regional university starting in 2018.

The college and PlanBEE are also liaising with a regional university so students can study up to degree level. Chris Toon added: “Gateshead College is delighted to be able to offer young people interested in the construction industry a new way to build a career in this dynamic sector. It’s a real alternative to full time education where you have the opportunity to study up to degree level whilst earning and coming out with no debt but with a job offer – it’s an exceptional way to progress your career.”

For more information about the programme, contact [email protected] or visit www.joinplanbee.com

Richard Baker, Head of Strategy and Policy at the North East LEP, Invites comments on the refresh of the North East Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) through the publication of an engagement paper and opportunity to comment online.

Today marks an exciting moment in our ongoing refresh of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

We are seeking comments on the work we are coordinating with the North East Combined Authority to refresh our SEP.

We have already published our economic analysis paper, which reviews the current position of the North East economy, and a progress review, that details the delivery of the SEP priorities between March 2014 and March 2016.

We can now share with you with our engagement paper, which summarises the economic analysis and progress review, and also poses key questions for discussion and feedback, including your thoughts on the potential impact of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and the prospect of a devolution deal.

To make it easier for people to contribute, we have published our questions via Survey Monkey so responses can be made online. Your feedback is key to shaping the refreshed SEP and I hope colleagues across the North East LEP region will contribute their thoughts and ideas.

You can access the survey here. THIS SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED

Your feedback will help shape our refreshed vision for the North East. This is your opportunity to help us reach the ambitious target of creating an extra 100,000 more and better jobs by 2024.

Thank you in advance.

Richard Baker
Head of Strategy and Policy
North East Local Enterprise Partnership
[email protected]

Category: Skills

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Free event: Go Digital to boost your international sales

Training Company expands to the BIC

North East LEP seeking Government assurances on EU structural funding

Ground breaking project to build professional skills in construction sector

Your views on the North East’s next step forward