11 minute read
Chamber Training
Apprenticeships which add up to success
An award-winning firm of accountants believes that apprenticeships are an effective way of equipping their team with the right skills. Following significant business growth, Burgis & Bullock has expanded the firm’s apprenticeship programme in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training.
Two of Burgis & Bullock’s apprenticeship stars are Sam Brindley and Morgan Hill, who have both successfully progressed through their assistant accountant apprenticeship at level 3 and are currently working towards higher-level study as professional accounting technicians at level 4.
Commenting on his success, Sam Brindley who joined Burgis & Bullock in April 2021 said: “Rather than going to university, I chose the apprenticeship route as a way of earning whilst training in my chosen profession. I am enjoying the diversity of the role in both accounts and audit and if I have any queries or questions the team at Chamber Training are always on hand to support and guide me. “
Morgan Hill added: “Taking an apprenticeship has been really beneficial for me. My course at Chamber Training one day per week helps me to apply what I have learnt into my working day and I have received fantastic support and guidance.”
Sean Farnell, a partner at Burgis & Bullock, commented: “Across the company, we are firm believers in apprenticeships. Personally, I’d rather take on an apprentice than someone who has maybe gone to university. There are a number of reasons behind that; one being that I believe it’s right that people can earn at the same time as they train. It’s better for the employee and it’s better for the employer because it attracts people who are keen to learn, understand the world of work and are able to do things in the Burgis & Bullock way. It’s definitely a win-win.”
Nicky Cheshire, Training Manager at Chamber Training, added: “We are delighted to work with Burgis & Bullock. An apprenticeship is the first stepping stone towards becoming a qualified accountant. An accountancy apprenticeship means you can kick start your career path straight from school. “For businesses who are looking to recruit an apprentice or train new staff, we would love to hear from you. At Chamber Training, we are currently working with a number of accountancy firms to provide tailored and structured learning pathways to support businesses to develop qualified staff. For businesses who are looking to recruit an apprentice or train new staff, please get in touch.”
Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training work with businesses to develop tailored apprenticeships across a range of business types and jobs. For further information call 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk
Skills support grants for SMES in Warwickshire
Working in partnership with Warwick District Council (WDC), Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training (CWCCT), has developed a package of targeted training for SME businesses which is being financially supported by WDC for businesses in the Warwick District. The grants will focus on helping businesses and individuals to upskill and reskill to raise productivity and support the recovery journey post COVID-19.
Commenting on the opportunity, Sally Lucas, Executive Director at CWCCT remarked: “Eligible businesses will need to act quickly as courses must be booked by the end of March 2022. This is a fantastic opportunity for SMEs in Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth to access skills support with grant assistance.
“We are offering a wide variety of training options in topics such as leadership and management, supervisory skills, customer care and digital development, including Excel, everything from half day seminars to longer accredited programmes. We can also offer short, bespoke programmes of skills development that are designed around specific business needs.
“At CWCCT, we can design flexible courses that are delivered by experienced trainers to provide individuals and businesses with the latest skills and knowledge to contribute to business success.
“Courses turn theory into workplace practice and can make a real difference to performance. Our 2022 course directory has just been released which is a useful starting point, along with our experienced advisors who are adept at identifying the right skills solution to meet business needs.
“Although the grants can be used for courses scheduled post March, the deadline to book places is the end of March 2022. SME’s in the WDC geographical patch should get in touch with our Business Development Team to check their eligibility and secure their skills grants.”
To find out more about the funded training options, please call the Business Development Team at Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training on 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk
The team at Chamber Training are seen with the collection of advent calendars.
Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training (CWCCT), a leading provider of apprenticeships and businessto-business training, is supporting an advent calendar appeal to help the children of Coventry who are living in hostels, domestic violence units and temporary accommodation.
According to Child Poverty Action Group, a UK charity that works to alleviate poverty and social exclusion, there are more than one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty.
The Government has focused on making work pay, but two in three children who are in poverty have a parent who is in work.
Commenting on the appeal, Sarah Williams, Training Manager at Chamber Training said: “For a number of years, we have been collecting advent calendars for children in poverty with great success.
“This year we have managed to collect nearly 50 calendars, which will added to the 2,000 calendars already collected by organiser Toni Marie Anderson for the charity appeal.
“The advent calendars will be hand delivered around Coventry to lots of children who are living in poverty. We are delighted to help them with these donations and each calendar will bring a smile to a child’s face. This is just one of the events that Chamber Training gets involved with to support the community around us.”
To find out how Chamber Training can help you, please contact Sarah Williams at Chamber Training on 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk
Sarah Williams, Training Manager at Chamber Training who organised the collection.
Training Courses 2022
Chamber Member Price + VAT
NonMember Price + VAT Duration Jan 22 Feb 22 Mar 22
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management ILM Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management £1700.00 £1700.00 16 Days 7 Contact Chamber £2400.00 £2400.00 37 7 Training for full £1500.00 £1500.00 13 Days 10 list of dates
Manage Customer Expectations Key Account Management Managing Change Successfully Microsoft Excel - Basic to Intermediate (Fully Booked) ILM Level 2 Understanding Sales Communicating Assertively Complaint Handling First Aid at Work (HSE Recommended) ILM Level 2 Award in Leadership and Team Skills £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - AM 12 £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - PM 12 £220.00 £245.00 1 Day 19 £130.00 £160.00 1 Day 19 £300.00 £300.00 1 Day 21 £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - AM 26 £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - PM 26 £240.00 £265.00 3 Days 28 4, 11 £600.00 £600.00 4 Days 1, 8, 15, 22
Time Management Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems - Level 2 Accredited Website Optimisation Microsoft PowerPoint - Getting Started - New
£220.00 £245.00 1 Day £450.00 £450.00 3 Days £220.00 £245.00 1 Day £70.00 £90.00 Half Day - AM Microsoft Word - Selected Intermediate and Advance Features - New £70.00 £90.00 Half Day - PM Microsoft Excel - Basic to Intermediate - Additional Date £130.00 £160.00 1 Day
Social Media Advertising - New £220.00 £245.00 1 Day
Effective Communication £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - AM
Building the Team
£110.00 £135.00 Half Day - PM Emergency First Aid in the Workplace (HSE Recommended) £135.00 £160.00 1 Day Understanding Workplace Stress - New Resolving Workplace Conflict - New Dealing with Under Performance - New £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - AM £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - PM £110.00 £135.00 Half Day - AM
2 8, 15, 22 10 16 16 18
Apprenticeship Talent within the NHS
L-R: Helen O’Brien congratulates Kirsty McKelvie on her success as an apprentice at CWPT.
Taking an apprenticeship with Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training (CWCCT) is proving to be a winning formula for apprentice, Kirsty McKelvie, whose career in the NHS is flourishing. As a stepping stone into working for the NHS, Kirsty joined The Princes Trust in 2018 and enrolled on an employability course at Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT), which provided a valuable insight into the roles and opportunities in the NHS.
After completing the course, Kirsty was offered an apprenticeship with CWCT and is loving the mix of working at CWPT, learning new skills and knowledge through a combination of on and off the job.
Kirsty achieved her business administration apprenticeship at level 2, before progressing to advanced learning at level 3. Her role as a Clinical Systems Support Officer enables Kirsty to assist clinical staff over email and telephone when they have technical issues with clinical systems.
Commenting on Kirsty’s success, Helen O’Brien, Head of Clinical Systems and RA Manager said: “As Kirsty has moved through her apprenticeship, she has widened her knowledge of how organisations work and has applied this knowledge to her current role. Her increased confidence has meant that she communicates in a positive way and some of the ideas she has shared have now been put into practice within her team. This has resulted in improvements in the way the team works.
“I feel very proud of how Kirsty has matured over the last couple of years and the grades she has achieved in her final presentation and examination are a testament to how hard she has worked. It is something she can be truly proud of.”
Kirsty added: “I have really enjoyed the mix of working, learning and earning during my apprenticeship. Christine Cusick, my Training Advisor at Chamber Training, was very supportive and helped me with the challenges I faced whilst working from home during the pandemic. I’m very grateful for her support. I also volunteer for Talent for Care which involves helping at events, schools and writing articles to help other apprentices and my next step will be to apply for a post as an Apprenticeship Ambassador.”
Christine Cusick from Chamber Training commented: “We are delighted to have worked so closely with Kirsty. She has grown and is thriving in her role. It’s wonderful to see her being able to help new apprentices coming into the NHS.”
Chamber Training is reminding employers not to miss out on the Government financial incentives available to support businesses to create new jobs and Apprenticeships. Employers can receive £3,000 for new apprentices of any age who join their organisation before 31st January 2022. This is in addition to the £1,000 employers already receive for hiring an apprentice aged 16-18 years old or ages 19-24 with an education, health care plan or who have been in care of the local authority. The team at Chamber Training are on hand to provide guidance and support to make the apprenticeship journey easy.
To further information about Chamber Training’s Apprenticeship Programme, call 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk
NEW YEARS RESOLUTION Get Lean – reduce your waist line and reduce your waste!
A happy healthy and prosperous New Year to all of my readers!
By Graham Freakes hg technology ltd
And now back to the grindstone after proper Christmas and New Year celebrations. Many of us will be contemplating a diet for January to reduce the waistline expanded by overindulgence and become leaner for Spring.
You could also consider making your business leaner by reducing some of the 7 wastes that exist in your workplace and processes. Familiar to all that have worked in the automotive sector, the 7 wastes are just as relevant to your business whichever sector it's in – it's all about eliminating anything that doesn't add value from the client perspective.
Traditionally these 7 wastes are; • Transportation • Inventory • Motion • Waiting • Overprocessing • Overproduction • Defects
and I shall tackle them over the next three issues.
Transport can be interpreted as any external (to the premises) movement of people or material. Over the past 18 months we've seen how many people have been wasting their time and money commuting unnecessarily. A real old saw – sales reps – used to be scored by number of visits, but now who wants to see a rep? Would a phone call or email be as cost effective? If stock of raw materials – beer, bricks or widgets – are moved between sites or within a large site it's a waste – they should have been delivered to the location where they are required originally.
Inventory of raw materials or partly processed materials should be minimised. Bulk buying may appear to be a money saver but then you need storage space and be mindful of shelf life and cash flow impact. Despite recent supply chain concerns overstocking should be avoided! Ask yourself how much stock did you write off last year? Overstocking also masks other inefficiencies like poor planning, poor supply chain management and poor production control.
I can assist you identify and interpret these wastes in your business to help you reduce waste and improve productivity and customer value - just contact me.
