Government Allocates more Funding to Support Business Training
A little publicised announcement by Skills Secretary John Denham recently advised that "small businesses will be the focus of £350m of Government funds to help them train their staff". This marks one of a series of steps by government to extend and simplify business training support.
The good news is that the government will assist all companies to develop employee skills and there are schemes which are likely to be of direct financial benefit to most organisations. The bad news is that there is a lack of consistency so available help can vary according to location, size of business, type of training and industry sector.
To help guide you through the available options the first port of call should be Train To Gain (or the corresponding services in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). You will be assigned a skills broker who is funded by the Learning and Skills Council. These advisors are generally very pragmatic and will do all they can to assist you in identifying needs and selecting appropriate training providers. Use the links below to reach your relevant contact.
Traditionally, government support has focused on support for training of young people seeking their first Level 2 (equivalent to 5 GCSEs) or Level 3 (equivalent to 2 A-Levels) qualifications. There is full funding for all businesses in these categories for 19–25 year olds – and indeed some opportunities for Level 4 qualifications. Since the Denham announcement in October 2008 the guidelines are less prescriptive, especially for private sector businesses with up to 250 employees.
There is significant support for developing Leadership and Management within SMEs. The current scheme provides funding of up to £1,000 for this purpose; the first £500 is in the form of a grant and the remainder is on a matched funding basis. This means that valuable training and certifications such as ISEB Business Analysis Diploma, Change Management, or ITIL can be funded for a minimal outlay.
From January 2009 private sector SMEs can also get support for focused training programmes in subjects such as business improvement, IT support and risk management.
Other schemes support those affected by recession. As well as support to individuals made redundant, the ReAct programme in Wales provides assistance with training of new starters when recruits have been subject to redundancy. There is considerable flexibility as to the type of training which can be supported.
For companies with more than 5,000 employees advice is provided by the National Employer Service. Companies which have been helped with large scale, sustainable training programmes include Sainsbury’s, Vodafone, Tesco, Royal Mail, Rentokil Initial, Ford, McDonald’s and BAe Systems.
Find Out What's Available:
>> England - Train To Gain Website
>> Scotland
>> Wales
>> Northern Ireland
Rex Gibson
December 2008
