Ensuring businesses employ staff with the right skills to help them grow and thrive.
Skills development is central to creating the conditions for sustained innovation, excellence and growth. From fresh new entrants and apprentices to experienced members of the board, we all need to keep up-to-date to capitalise on new opportunities as they arrive. But because each local economy is different, training priorities vary from place to place. An essential component of Ngage’s work in this area is partnering closely with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to ensure Skills programmes line up with the Local Industrial Strategy.
In one area of the country, such as Buckinghamshire that might mean developing programmes that support the space industry, advanced engineering, digital health and creative sectors. In another area, it might mean more of a focus on retail or tourism. The key is to identify and build on from existing strengths, while also supporting the many other sectors that make up our complex business eco-system.
General business skills training is equally important to maintaining a highly skilled workforce. Ngage works closely with education providers, charities, universities and businesses to facilitate programmes that can open the doors to opportunity. Train To Gain Leadership And Management helped SME businesses access affordable training and mentoring for their senior managers. Business Leaders provided grants to fund management development for Managing Directors and senior executives; the South East Women’s Mentoring Network identified high potential women and provided the career guidance and support they needed to progress into senior management and leadership roles; The Pulse targeted 100 promising entrepreneurs, teachers and youth workers to create a learning programme around citizenship and enterprise for young people. Grow worked with unemployed adults facing social exclusion through mental health problems to assess their needs and develop packages of training support. We have also supported an Enterprise Advisor Network, Online Careers Hubs and the annual Buckinghamshire Skills Shows.
Skill Up Bucks (SUB) is an ESF funded subcontract provided by Adviza which was intended to encourage SME businesses to get involved in training and skills activities. Examples include offering an apprenticeship, attending a career/job fair; offering a company visit to students, internship or challenge activity for students etc. The project was also designed to encourage employers to upskill their staff.
ESF via Adviza
HISS aimed to encourage local businesses, schools, colleges and recruitment organisations to apply a toolbox of soft skills and methodologies into their professional development programmes
Leonardo da Vinci European Union Programme
Created a Toolbox of Soft Skills for employers • Piloted in SME businesses • Advised development partners on engagement techniques to aid roll-out • Supported evaluation process and led dissemination activities
After assessing market needs, the project developed a toolbox of soft skills focused on communication skills and self-marketing, all of which were identified as attractive to employers. The aim was to communicate clearly and openly with staff and balance the objectives of the company with individual employee needs.
Secured programme finance for a Senior Management development programme targeting small and medium-sized businesses. Personnel development grants of £1,000 were available for online training, workshops and mentoring.
Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
Successful bid writing launched a project worth £13.5m, which ran for three years between 2008 - 2011
The bid writing team included a qualified and experienced Leadership & Management specialist adviser who identified personal training requirements and flexible tailored learning solutions.
While the 2012 London Olympics was good news for British sport, for the UK construction industry there was a problem – a shortage of SME businesses with the skills to bid for larger building contracts. This project opened the doors of opportunity to firms in the South East.
Learning and Skills Council (LSC); European Union Social Fund (ESF)
130 companies engaged • 100+ companies attended Bidding for Gold events • 25 companies agreed to work as members of a flexible consortium
The construction sector is notoriously difficult to reach and engage with. However, by providing a quality offer, utilising networks and supply chains, and the combined power of social media and word of mouth, Ngage was able to connect with a wide selection of construction sector SMEs from across the South East. A series of Bidding For Gold events were organised were opportunities were presented, and the bidding process explained. To meet minimum size criteria a group of 25 companies formed a consortium to combine their strengths and capacity into a compelling supply-side offer.
Business Leaders sought to raise the aspirations and standards of board-level directors in South East SMEs by supporting their learning and development in leadership and management skills.
Learning and Skills Council (LSC); South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
5277 businesses engaged · 465 grants awarded for professional skills development · Grant value £1.42m · Personal Development plans for each participant
Business Leaders targeted Managing Directors and Executive Directors in small to medium sized businesses in the South East and sought to connect them with training providers, raising the overall demand for management development.
Following engagement with a business, the diagnosis and assessment phase employed a range of tools and partners to identify the learning needs of the individual, which formed the basis of a Personal Development Plan. The Managing Director was given the freedom to choose a diagnostic with a trusted intermediary such as a bank manager or accountant. The final phase offered an innovative management development brokerage service to the MDs allowing them to choose the most relevant and appropriate learning solution and their need.
Aiming to improve financial management and minimise business failures, the project identified, brokered and incentivised financial training solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
59 businesses supported · 47 grants awarded worth £12.5k
Finance for Business Leaders helped SMEs become more adept at financial management as part of a drive for increased profitability. The offer included the services of a Business Adviser; an introduction to the government-funded vocational training initiative, Train to Gain; and a grant of £300 towards training costs.
A trailblazing educational project for young people focused on Citizenship and Entrepreneurship which encouraged participants to fully engage with their local community and realise their economic potential through innovation and business skills.
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA); European Union Social Fund (ESF)
Developed a landmark citizenship & enterprise programme for young people · 100 young entrepreneurs plus 40 teachers and youth workers engaged in workshops · 28 community-based enterprises provided input into programme delivery and provided mentoring & ongoing support to each entrepreneur.
The project ran at two schools and had four phases:
Designed to support the opening of the new Eden Shopping Centre in High Wycombe, REX aimed to raise retail customer service standards amongst vendors as part of a drive to build a national reputation for excellence.
Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
Establishment of a retail network • 15 retailers engaged including 5 independents • Learning plans developed for 25 beneficiaries • 70% of learners completed a City & Guilds Target Award and Retail Passport, which contributed to a full NVQ2 award
The objective was to deliver City and Guilds Target Award training in Customer Service, Stock Control and Warehousing. The rationale was that by improving employee knowledge and customer service - the retailer would benefit from increased footfall and improved profits.
Recognising the impact that out-of-town shopping centres were having on small town independent retailers, RON conducted a study of 10 towns in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes and launched a suite of support and training to help them fight back.
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
Developed town centre assessment plans for 10 towns · Ran free workshops and mentoring for shop owners • Helped form retail associations in 7 towns • 130 businesses engaged · Mystery shoppers sent to 150 shops • 50 referrals to the local Skills Advice Service
The RON initiative was designed to help embattled retailers by giving them the support they needed to attract customers back to the High Street. It was later extended to include Bletchley in Milton Keynes (ROB value £9,982).
An exciting enterprise project which encouraged young entrepreneurs to develop new business concepts and pitch them to a panel of investors.
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
120 entrepreneurs (aged 14-30) engaged · 30 participated in Investment Readiness workshops · 6 pitched for investment funding · 3 were selected for investment, plus 2 more earlier participants · £1.6m investment secured · 4 new products launched
The programme was designed to mentor young entrepreneurial individuals to the point where they were an attractive proposition to outside investment capital. It consisted of a number of half-day workshops run in conjunction with many of the main partners forming the MKOB Education Business Link.
On behalf of the Learning & Skills Council, Ngage delivered training and business support services to improve the competitiveness and longer-term growth of tourism and hospitality businesses in Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire.
The European Union Social Fund (ESF); Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
Creation of sector-based marketing strategy and materials • 338 businesses supported · Completed Training Needs Analysis for 78 businesses • 97 beneficiaries achieved levels 1-5 NVQ qualifications • 269 completed short courses • New accredited qualification developed to meet sector needs
The project undertook Training Needs Analysis which linked directly to business strategy and developed innovative methods of programme delivery to meet the identified needs.
Reflecting the importance of training for SMEs to help them survive and thrive, the project aimed to increase their competitiveness through the development and provision of a range of learning and personal support.
The European Union Social Fund (ESF); Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
667 businesses supported · Developed a diagnostic tool kit for assessing learning needs • 167 beneficiaries achieved units towards NVQ levels 1 – 5 • 500 people participated in short courses on business competitiveness • An interim and final evaluation report and sustainability plan
The first step was to review how work-based learning could support these businesses and make them more competitive. Once this was ascertained, a range of short courses was developed along with innovative delivery methods. This included the development and use of a unique diagnostic tool kit, to help assess learning needs.