Update from Working Knowledge

South West businesses benefit from our government-funded programmes to boost skills of the next generation workforce

The South West boasts the highest employment rate in the UK which is of course brilliant news for the local economy but speaking to hundreds of local businesses, they are telling us that recruiting the right calibre of talent is a major problem.

We’ve listened to concerns and responded by developing some innovative programmes using government funding to boost skills development and employment opportunities in the region.  

In June, we introduced business professionals to young, ambitious students at the City of Bristol College to share insight into working within their sector and, importantly, let both educators and learners know the skills they are crying out for.  

Many of our business volunteers were surprised by the quality of young talent rising through the education system; they demonstrated the soft skills that are so in demand by companies right now - resilience, problem-solving, team-working, flexibility and readiness to learn on the job. Our young people came away with a greater appreciation for how to hone and refine these skills and make sure they shine beyond the classroom.

“It's a valuable experience to speak with students and staff to improve communications between ed and industry to ensure we have the right candidates for the right jobs in the future" ALISON WHITE - REGENT HOLIDAYS

"It made me look at the next generation of catering staff in a different light…. I would hire any of them!" JEMMA CORRELL - PACO

“ I love this initiative and can see the value of the practical aspect of business being brought in to the classroom to integrate with theory. The students were interested and engaged in the process." GIBBY BARNFATHER, FUNKY GIBBON

Why did we do this?  

This part of a National initiative to bridge the gap between education and the workplace - so that the curriculum is more relevant to what businesses REALLY need.

It’s all in preparation for the new T-levels, arriving in 2020 which will be the most radical shake-up to UK education since the arrival of GCSEs. We’ve been really surprised how few people are aware of this fundamental change to education, or how to best capitalise on it. So we’ve been doing lots of work this month to explain the details and demonstrate how the placements can help employers find young talent with the capacity to grow and evolve within their companies.

But we don’t just work with young students. We're passionate about finding undiscovered talent in the workplace and offering life-changing employment opportunities, no matter the age. 

Our Digital Marketing Academy is leveraging Government funding to help businesses up-skill their existing employees or recruit new talent. Astonishingly, millions of available ring-fenced funds for staff development, go unused every year so there’s still a big job for us to do to raise awareness for these missed opportunities. There's also a job in shifting people's perceptions of apprenticeships.

We hear this a lot...“ these qualifications are useless pieces of paper with no relevance to my business”.

That's because historically, the old form of apprenticeships (pre-2017), could be delivered with little regard to the apprentice's role and the employer's need.

The new apprenticeships are different. Panels of REAL businesses mapped out what the standard should look like. They’ve kept it really simple so you can see what’s involved on a couple of sides of A4. The reason for a light-touch standard is that each apprenticeship should be bespoke to the employer themselves rather than highly prescribed by the government.

So we've managed to design something deeply practical, current to real business needs and applicable to anyone from any age, from school leavers, to graduates, to mid-career workers, to CEOs. If you are a one-man-band, running a micro-enterprise, you can still make use of the apprenticeship levy to up-skill.

I thought I’d share my recent team discussion on our Digital Marketing Apprenticeship programme which really helps explain what it’s all about and it’s a chance to get to know me and my team!

Our apprenticeship programme runs in a series of cohorts throughout the year, so do get in touch with me if you'd like to find out more. [email protected]

And finally... thank you

As we reach the end of another academic year, I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to all who have participated in our events and supported us in helping young talent launch their careers and local businesses to grow and thrive. 

We’ll still be working on our apprenticeship programme over the summer and look forward to getting back to work with FE Colleges in the new academic year to give young people a head start, and businesses the raw talent they need.

So if you haven’t already, do come and JOIN US!

Best wishes

James Lott, Managing Director