February 28, 2011

15.6% of young people are NEET - what can businesses to do help?

*Britain is the NEET capital of Western Europe – 1 in 5 eighteen year-old boys and 1 in 6 girls are NEET. There are 1.5 million people in Britain who’ve never done a days work, and 600,000 of these are under 25.

It’s clear that there is a lack of opportunities out there for young people, and also a lack of substantial information to guide and inspire young people into the opportunities that do exist.

• So how can businesses help address this issue?
• How can addressing youth unemployment and disengagement benefit businesses as well as society?

We want to hear your views – please leave your comments below.

13 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

February 24, 2011

Note from Graham Bann, Director of Talent & Skills at Business in the Community

Looking forward to the spring I am mindful of two exciting opportunities for those in the business community who are committed to developing the skills agenda in and to integrating responsible business across all of their operations.

The deadline for entries to the BITC National Awards for Excellence is midnight on March 4. For the eighth year we have a national award for Skills – the Skills in the Workplace Award, and we are encouraged by the number of companies that have expressed interest in putting forward an entry. The Skills Team are here to advise and guide you through the process. These awards help us build a vivid narrative to encourage others to consider better ways of building their workforce with obvious benefits to both the business and the wider community. If you have not registered for the Awards or are you are in the process of building your winning case- remember we are here to support you.

On the 17/ 18 March Business in the Community is holding a major “Responsible Business Convention” in London. This is a wonderful opportunity featuring over 50 business leaders with 22 sessions on compelling topics which will include case studies and masterclasess. Of particular interst to those concerned with workforce development will be sessions how to become an employer of choice, employee engagement, how to support people from excluded groups and health and well being.

13 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

July 16, 2010

Talent & Skills Peer Learning Programme

Who is it for?

A vital resource for HR, Training & Development and other Talent and Skills professionals looking for information and tools to help perform their role as productively and efficiently as possible, the network provides a unique space to share experiences, discuss hot topics in the skills agenda, analyse internal processes and find skills-related solutions to organisational issues.

What will I get from joining?

• Delegate places at four ‘hot topic’ employer-hosted events a year, each including:
 High profile employers presenting the business case for investing in skills and sharing their experiences
 A variety of tailored workshops
 Peer learning and networking opportunities
• Access to an exclusive members-only website where you can contact other network members, share knowledge and information, and find a wealth of useful resources
• Exclusive webinars supplementing the annual event programme, featuring subject experts
• Access to experts on the skills agenda from across the sector, including government policy makers and other agencies

Annual fee:

The network year runs from July – June, and the first event in the new cycle is on the 15th September, hosted by Lincolnshire Cooperative in Lincoln. As an introductory offer this event is offered as a free taster. The annual fee will be adjusted accordingly.

BITC Members: £1500
Non-BITC members: £1850

Membership is corporate and open to employers of all sizes and sectors.

You can join the network by contacting Anita Powell on anita.powell@bitc.org.uk

3 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

April 19, 2010

WorldSkills London 2011

WorldSkills London will be held at ExCeL London exhibition and conference centre in London’s docklands from 5th – 8th October 2011. There are lots of opportunities to get involved in the most exciting, inclusive and inspirational WorldSkills Competition ever. So if you want to support your country’s team, try your hand at hairdressing or learn about robotics, WorldSkills London 2011 could be just what you are looking for.

Visit the website – www.worldskillslondon2011.com – to find out more.

10 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

April 14, 2010

VQ Day – Celebrating Vocational Qualifications, The Royal Horticultural Halls, 23 JUNE 2010

Working in partnership with Edge, Business in the Community is bringing together companies to provide an employer voice in the continuing debate around vocational qualifications in the workplace.

Over the past seven years, Business in the Community has demonstrated a track record in developing the business case for upskilling in the workplace, and building on this momentum we are now working with Edge to bring the employer voice to VQ Day. Edge is an independent education foundation dedicated to raising the stature of practical and vocational learning, so that the UK future workforce is equipped with the skills to be successful in the modern economy.

Last year 3.6 million vocational qualifications were awarded and millions of people will achieve similar success this year. This vocational achievement is celebrated every June on VQ Day. Now in its third year, VQ Day aims to raise the stature and demonstrate the benefits of practical and vocational qualifications to future learners, employers, opinion formers and the wider public.

The event will begin with a panel discussion with business leaders including Louise Smalley of Whitbread and Neil Scales of Merseytravel, bringing vocational qualifications to life from an employer perspective and shaping the ensuing round table debates which will focus on the benefits of vocational qualifications to businesses, and the part employers can play in raising the status of vocational learning.

The session will run from 9:00am to 11:30am and is relevant for senior HR/ Training/Development Manager/Directors.
The celebration event will continue until 3:00pm, hosted by entertainment icon Arlene Phillips OBE, a World Skills zone, performances and interactive activities.

Join leading UK employers for an insightful and interactive debate on vocational qualifications –

BOOK NOW to ensure a place:
Contact Yvonne Sanni on 020 7566 6634 or email: yvonne.sanni@bitc.org.uk
VQ day website: www.vqday.org.uk

12 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

January 25, 2010

First Group and Fletchers Bakery offer tips & tales in the Chrysalis Cafe

Have a look in the Chrysalis Cafe section (if you haven’t registered you’ll be asked for a few details) – First Group & Fletchers Bakery are the latest additions to share their experiences with you.

67 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

January 04, 2010

Happy New Year from Skillstories!

The Skillstories Live network (which some of you will know in its previous guise as the Skills Practitioner Network) is launching in style with the first event of 2010 being hosted by NEC Group in Birmingham on the 9th February, followed by National Grid’s ‘Engineering our Future’ event on the 2nd March – both will be full of the usual success stories, workshops and networking opportunities.

Our new ‘Opening Doors to Learning Cultures’ series of events will be kicking off on the 24th February in Liverpool with Merseytravel inviting HR/Training and Development professionals from local organisations (or further afield) in to see first hand how they have developed a learning culture, bringing to life the benefits with an opportunity to meet learners and a site visit, along with a presentation detailing the why, the how, and the impact.

The 2010 Business in the Community Awards for Excellence have launched, with the new ‘Skills in the Workplace’ award open for entries – for more info see http://tinyurl.com/yek5nut.

Our panel of experts is expanding, and more and more companies are making the informal learning pledge – making a commitment to developing a learning culture in which informal and formal learning go side by side. Put your company’s name amongst the likes of Ginsters, McDonalds, Marshalls, Clugston Group and many many more in 2010 and let us profile the work you’re doing!

Plenty of opportunity for you to make 2010 a year of success for the learning culture of your organisation!

To keep up to date with what we can offer, you can now follow us on twitter. We’ll also be launching a new monthly e-newsletter so please watch out for this, we’d like to hear your feedback!

All the best for 2010!

The Skillstories Team

2 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

November 23, 2009

Business in the Community Skills Practitioner Network

Delegates at today’s Skills Practitioner Network event run by Business in the Community and hosted by Aviva in York came up with sentences describing what a ‘learning culture’ is as part of a morning workshop activity.

Their definitions were:

A common shared vision for the organisation and individual to learn and adapt, to meet the needs of the individual and benefit the business for the future, enabled by a blended learning approach.

Value learning – do it, recognise it, reward it….so that everyone has the freedom to fulfil their potential and realise the value of learning for them and the organisation.

Organisation: empowered individuals with support of management, systems and processes in place.

Individual: demand personal development, feel valued, encouraged and excited and rewarded for learning.

He who cares, wins!

Consistent, comprehensive appetite and opportunity to learn for each individual.

4 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

October 16, 2009

LDA funds Tribal to continue Skills for Life and Work at Ford Motor Company

Tribal have delivered the Ford award-winning Skills for Life programme since 2007, involving the assessment and coaching of employees by dedicated skills coaches beside the production line. The 1-1 learning sessions are tailored to each employee’s needs and take place in 30-minute slots to minimise the impact of production at the plant.

The programme is representative of the Ford commitment to the Skills Pledge, a government initiative designed to encourage businesses to invest in the skills of their workforce.

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17 comments | Posted by Anita | Permalink

October 14, 2009

Help employees learn something new with the ‘Learning for All’ pilot project in the NE

The project uses ‘Learning Champions’ based in the workplace to promote learning to their peers, discovering the types of short courses that would be of interest to staff, and establishing the best time for the course to run.
Informal (semi structured) learning can occur in a variety places, including at home, at work or thorough daily interactions. The Learning for All programme focuses on providing courses based primarily in the workplace, taking place at either lunchtimes or after work.

For more information see the Learning for All page on the BITC website.

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1 comment | Posted by Anita | Permalink