Vision

MINISTER MARKS MONSTER BOOST FOR BUSINESSES page 4

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE BUSINESS TRANSITION FUND page 7

Newsletter for employers

Issue 6 – July 2014

FREE TRAINING! FOR

Businesses in the Birmingham Area*

ÂŁ7 million of European Funding is now available to help employers develop the skills of their workforce.

So:

if you want to upskill your workforce

CALL us NOW

0800 644 6221 bournville.ac.uk/free-training *Terms & Conditions apply: Funding is dependent on size and location of business.

See website for more details www.bournville.ac.uk/free-training

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Welcome to the latest issue of Vision...

This newsletter has been designed to keep our stakeholders posted on the developments at Bournville College.

Contents...

Minister marks monster boost for business.......................p4 Video: Employability at Bournville College...........................p5 Bournville College helps up-skill local community.........................................................................p6 Growing your business? Get help from the Business Transition Fund.........................................................p7 Apprentice helps neighbour after completing first aid course .....................................................p8 Apprenticeship Grants now available ....................................p9

Publisher Vision is published by Bournville College.

To contact Bournville College: Talk. 0121 477 1400 Write. bdt@bournville.ac.uk See. bournville.ac.uk Visit. 2 Devon Way, Longbridge, Birmingham B31 2TS Editor. Stephanie Jones Talk. 0121 477 1384 Write. stephanie.jones@bournville.ac.uk

A

t Bournville College we pride ourselves on helping employers to grow your business, through short courses, skills support, funding, apprenticeships and more.

Bournville College understands that now more than ever, funding can play a vital part to help your business.

Recently Skills and Enterprise Minister, Matthew Hancock MP visited signs and graphics experts Hollywood Monster to mark the announcement of over £30 million support for West Midlands businesses in Round 5 of the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). The College is also pleased to announce it has secured £1 million from the European Rural Development Fund (ERDF) for its ‘Accelerating Local Growth’ programme to help existing small and medium sized companies grow across the West Midlands, for more information please turn to page 7.

With skills shortages and recruitment issues affecting UK businesses, apprenticeships are a cost effective solution. Up skilling your staff can bring a host of benefits, seen first-hand by Triton Telecom. 23 year old apprentice Nicola Bampton, had to think fast and put into practice training to help support her neighbour within hours of completing her first aid course, see page 8 for more details. With grants of up to £3,000 available to businesses, there is never a better time to take on an apprentice.

If you would like to recommend a future topic, success story or news on a recent development to be included in Vision, please email stephanie.jones@bournville.co.uk

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COLLEGE NEWS Minister marks monster boost for businesses Bournville College supported 58 local people to secure a job in the new Sainsbury’s store in Longbridge, with the Pre-Employment Training programme.

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock has visited signs and graphics experts Hollywood Monster to mark the announcement of over £30 million support for West Midlands businesses in Round 5 of the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF).

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock said: “News that companies and projects in the West Midlands have secured £31 million from Round 5 of the Regional Growth Fund is a real vote of confidence for the region.

A total of £31 million has been given to eight projects and programmes in the West Midlands in Round 5. This is expected to raise £200 million of private investment and create and safeguard up to 4,000 jobs.

“This builds on the £400 million already committed from earlier rounds of the competitive fund which are helping leading businesses like graphics experts Hollywood Monster to grow and create vital new local jobs.”

When added to the success of the first four rounds, this represents a total of £430 million of RGF funding for 69 projects and programmes in the West Midlands. This has raised £3.3 billion of private sector investment and will create and safeguard up to 114,000 jobs in the long-term.

A total of 50 companies and projects across England that applied for RGF funding have been successful in Round 5, following a competitive round. £119 million pounds of RGF grants will help to rebalance the economy by supporting 37 companies from a range of industrial sectors. A further 13 RGF intermediary programmes, both regional and national, have been awarded £182 million to support small businesses. Round 6 of the Regional Growth Fund, the last round in this Parliament, will open for applications in the summer.

Hollywood Monster, based in Tyseley, Birmingham, was awarded £100,000 in Round 2 of RGF to purchase new printing equipment and create eight jobs on site. The Fund has been awarded new finance in Round 5 to extend the work it is doing and meet on-going demand for finance from local SMEs. Hollywood Monster director Andy McKenzie greeted Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock and demonstrated how the new equipment is helping the company win new business in a variety of sectors.

Do you want to… be one of the first to hear about the next round of the Birmingham Post Business Fund? Our solution… email bpbgf@bournville.ac.uk to be kept up-to-date.

Skills and Enterprise Minister: Matthew Hancock

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COLLEGE NEWS VIDEO - Employability at Bournville College Click to play:

It’s been really rewarding working with the College. It’s given us a great window into the community and given us some great people who are serving our customers and enjoying being part of the Sainsbury’s family

At Bournville College we pride ourselves on the high employability levels of our students.

The following video features a range of employers, former students, current students, staff and even a local MP, all of whom are discussing the employability of our students.

If you have a few minutes please take the time to watch and enjoy the video. If you have any feedback please forward it to: Stephanie Jones on 0121 477 1384 or email stephanie.jones@bournville.ac.uk

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COLLEGE NEWS Bournville College helps up-skill local community Bournville College worked with Ashram to provide a two week programme to help unemployed residents gain the skills and training to get back into employment.

Ashram Homes: Working together with Bournville College Bournville College worked with Ashram to provide a two week programme to help unemployed residents gain the skills and training to get back into employment.

Ashram delivers culturally appropriate community based services to 1,100 homes around Birmingham and Coventry. It provides general housing, care schemes and domestic violence refuges to thousands of people.

The two week programme delivered

by Bournville College was designed specifically with Ashram in mind, and focused on; preparation for work and interviews, communication skills and CV and application form support and guidance.

Rachel Perks, Senior Neighbourhood & Employment Skills Coach reflected “It was identified by the jobs and skills coaches that many of our unemployed residents needed some support around skills for employment. It was

decided that CaldmoreAccord would run some very informal sessions and the Birmingham jobs coaches (Ashram and Fry) identified a Developing Skills for Employment Course which Bournville College offer.”

Learners commented: “After my husband passed away I wanted to do something different and to get out and meet people. My confidence, will power and self esteem has developed over the two week programme and I am now looking to progress into training and college courses.”

“The programme has helped me with interview skills as I lacked confidence.

The course has developed me as a person and I now have the confidence to apply for other courses. I’ve now enrolled onto a childcare course and I am awaiting an interview and start date.

I can’t thank everyone for their support and believing in me, especially my tutor.”

Rachel added, “We are definitely hoping

to run another pre-employability with Bournville College. We would also like to run additional courses with the College and will be looking at this when putting together our Residents Prospectus over the summer.”

Valerie Birmingham, Bournville College Project Manager commented: “The two week programme delivered to Ashram Housing was designed after learning that residents needed support to get them back into employment.

The training focused on specific areas including communication skills and preparation for work and interviews. It was lovely to see all of the learners grow during the course and I wish them all the best in their future aspirations.

For more information, please contact the Integrated Employability and Skills team on 0121 477 1500

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COLLEGE NEWS Growing your business? Get help from the Business Transition Fund

Grow your business: The Fund offers grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 Bournville College is pleased to announce it has secured £1 million from the European Rural Development Fund (ERDF) for its ‘Accelerating Local Growth’ programme to help existing

Things you will need to consider: •

The Fund will only pay for 50% of the costs of growth, and you will have to finance the project and claim the grant back at the end once the project is complete. So if your growth plans have a total value of £20k, you would make a grant application for £10k

•

You need to be an enterprise based in the West Midlands employing under 250 employees (trading for 6 months or more)

•

It is a funding requirement that you create or safeguard jobs as a direct result of the investment

•

The Fund runs from May 2014 to September 2015; your investment must be complete by September 2015 and the jobs created/safeguarded by December 2015

small and medium sized companies grow across the West Midlands.

The Business Transition Fund is a new investment fund, to invest in small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to enable them to grow successfully and create or safeguard jobs. The Fund offers grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to support businesses to expand or diversify and directly create or safeguard jobs in the West Midlands.

This Fund is about helping you and your business grow, by investing in: •

Developing a Product or Service;

•

Making Performance Improvements and Solving Problems: Technology, Technical and Resources; or

•

Expanding your Market.

The competition is now open and closes on Monday 30th June 2014 at 12.00 noon. Applications must be submitted before the closing date to btf@bournville.ac.uk.

Do you want to… access funding to help grow your business?

Our solution… access to the Business Transition Fund. For more information please contact Rachel Bestwick, Funding Manager on 0121 477 1393.

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COLLEGE NEWS Apprentice helps neighbour after completing first aid course 23 year old apprentice Nicola Bampton, from Sheldon had to think fast and put into practice training given by Bournville College to help support her neighbour within hours of completing her first aid course.

Nicola, currently completing the apprenticeship in business administration with Triton Telecom undertook additional training in first aid alongside her apprenticeship. Upon completing the course Nicola had to put her new found knowledge into action: “ My friend rang me just after I had got in from completing my course, she mentioned that she thought her dad; Norman was having a heart attack and kept losing consciousness. I had always wanted to complete the first aid course and I am very glad that I was able to complete it – I have actually seen Norman since and he has made a complete recovery”.

Triton Telecom is a family run business with over 22 years of experience in the Telecommunications industry, providing affordable communications solutions to customers. Dean Billington, Managing Director of Triton Telecom made the decision to offer extra training to his workforce to help aid development and give individuals the chance to up skill in other areas “With Nicola being part of the apprenticeship scheme it has helped my business as an SME – without it we would not be where we are today. However, I took a conscious decision to offer extra training to my staff and with my past medical experience; the emergency first aid at work course was something I felt was important”.

Dean added, “Not only does it offer people the opportunity to help others, it gives individuals the confidence to take control in any situation. We have

also been fortunate in securing funding through the Regional Growth Fund, which has meant that we have been able to offer suitable courses in fire awareness, sales, first aid and excel training – all helping to grow our business”.

Do you want to… grow your business?

Our solution… recruit new staff through the apprenticeship scheme.

For more information please contact the apprenticeship team on 0121 477 1400.

I had always wanted to complete the first aid course and I am very glad that I was able to complete it

Resourceful: Bournville apprentice Nicola Bampton

apprenticeships Can you offer apprenticeships?

Grants now available National Government Grant You may be eligible for £1500* if: • • • •

Your bus ines can claim s

UP TO

PER AP £3,000 PRENTIC E

You employ less than 1000 employees You haven’t recruited an apprentice within the last 12 months You are committed to employing an apprentice for a minimum of 12 months The apprentice is aged 16 – 24 at the start of their apprenticeship

Young Talent For Business Birmingham Jobs Fund offer an additional £1500* if: • You employ a 16 – 24 year old apprentice • The apprentice is a Birmingham resident

LIMITED TIME OFFER *Eligibility criteria applies

For more information please contact Jennifer Johnson on the details below Talk. 0121 477 1413 | Write. jennifer.johnson@bournville.ac.uk See. bournville.ac.uk | Visit. 1 Longbridge Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham B31 2AJ

0121 477 1400

bdt@bournville.ac.uk