EmployerLink Winter 2012

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UNITING CITY COLLEGE PLYMOUTH WITH BUSINESS | WINTER 2012

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‘Teachers make good use of their extensive industrial knowledge’ to enthuse students and ensure they attain ‘high professional standards’ Ofsted 2012

‘High quality teaching and learning resources provide realistic working environments’

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A GOOD College with OUTSTANDING Features

Ofsted 2012

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City College Plymouth Kings Road, Devonport, Plymouth, PL1 5QG T: 01752 305026 E: employers@cityplym.ac.uk www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers

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If you require this newsletter in a larger type or different format please telephone 01752 305300.

From the Editor Welcome to the latest edition of EmployerLink; City College Plymouth’s newsletter for employers.

Our focus in this edition is on the College’s commitment to opportunity, enterprise and employability, which was commented on in our recent Ofsted inspection. Our article on page one details highlights of the Ofsted inspection report, emphasising our commitment to providing an enterprising learning environment.

Recent collaborative working with several employers across the City to create sectorbased skills academies demonstrates the College’s focus and commitment to help the unemployed get back into work. Read more about these on page two.

There are several avenues that will enable businesses to maximise their training budgets and funding is now available for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).

Read more on page three about how NVQs can enable businesses to gain the most upto-date training for staff.

The College has a range of commercial services available, from our fabulous Day Spa through to a professional reprographic and design studio; we have a variety of business-to-business offers for you to take advantage of, including facility hire. Turn to the back cover to find out more.

The College is proud to announce the opening of its newly refurbished training restaurant, PL1, which is open to the public.

The restaurant provides a real-life learning environment for hospitality students to gain experience and offers employers the chance to wine and dine clients or reward staff. Read more about PL1 on page four.

I hope you enjoy reading your copy of EmployerLink. We aim to keep you informed with all the latest education and training news, but if there is a topic you would like to see covered please contact the editor via e-mail at srobbie@cityplym.ac.uk.

Employing apprentices has never been easier, and with new funding now available, apprentices can provide a cost-effective way of maintaining and growing a skilled workforce. Find out how you can employ an apprentice on page five.

Sharron Robbie Editor

Message from the Principal I am delighted to be able to share with you the news that following a recent Ofsted inspection at the College, we have been graded a GOOD College with OUTSTANDING features.

good, with outstanding features. The College’s provision for apprentices in engineering and students in hospitality and catering were both highlighted as outstanding.

A strong theme of the inspection visit was on the College’s focus on employability, and the positive outcomes this is producing for both students and employers. This is something we are very proud of and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those employers who have supported us in achieving this result.

in all that we do. Results can be seen quite clearly in the highly skilled and work-ready students that leave the College and go into employment, and in the highly innovative training the College provides for employers.

We have come a long way in a short space of time, but we will not be resting on our laurels.

Moving forward, we are looking to build upon this great start by expanding our collaborative work with local, regional and national This is not only good news for the College, its employers. The needs of industry and the students and stakeholders, but good news for The College has responded to the changes in local economy are such that the College is the City as a whole. The College provides the social and economic landscape and we required to keep evolving to meet them. We education and training for a large proportion have strived to position ourselves at the heart will do this by developing and embedding a of the local population, and we work closely of the City. Our new strategic intent focuses on culture of enterprise, ensuring we continue to with local businesses to ensure local people embedding enterprise in all that we do and we make a positive impact on the community as have the skills they need. This in turn, makes a now need to ensure that this is achieved a whole. significant contribution to the social and throughout our organisation. Only with this economic regeneration of Plymouth. enterprising outlook can we ensure that we have a positive impact on the community. Our Of particular note is the fact that the College relationships with partner organisations and continues to buck national trends. In the last employers through initiatives such as the year the majority of inspected colleges saw their grades fall. Despite minimal notice and a College’s Employer Endorsement Scheme and Peter Jones Enterprise Academy support Phil Davies new inspection framework, City College Principal and Chief Executive our aim of embedding a culture of enterprise Plymouth has moved from satisfactory to

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GOOD with OUTSTANDING Features How This Benefits Your Business This partnership working has proved vital to the success of not only the College as a whole, but to the students who leave work-ready.

However, our work is not done and the College is committed to building on our enterprising work along with our partners.

Fostering Enterprise Through Partnerships City College Plymouth is dedicated to building relationships with partner organisations, employers, higher education and local communities to support our aim of embedding a culture of enterprise within our organisation and to build on the excellent results highlighted in our recent Ofsted report.

City College Plymouth has been judged by Ofsted as a GOOD college, and one with many OUTSTANDING features! This is no small achievement and could not have been achieved without the established relationships that exist between the business community and the College.

The College’s Employer Endorsement Scheme, now in its third year, is a perfect example of how the College works with employers to benefit both parties. The scheme allows employers to positively engage with the College, whilst enjoying a range of benefits, such as discounts on training and facility hire and access to a range of network and corporate events.

The College was the first to be inspected under a new framework with only two days’ notice, as part of the routine inspection of education funded by the government. During the week-long visit the team of nine Ofsted inspectors observed a wide range of activities to assess the quality of teaching, learning and assessment at the College, and its impact on the learning of our students.

A strong theme of the inspection visit was the College’s focus on employability. The inspectors highlighted how teaching staff made ‘good use of the extensive industrial knowledge’ to enthuse the students and ensured they attain ‘high professional standards’, and that ‘high quality teaching and learning resources provide realistic working environments’. The Ofsted inspectors were very impressed with the range of employability initiatives, such as the College’s employability centre, that are ‘very successful in helping learners’.

All of these aspects of the College have been supported by employers. Local, regional and national employers have provided our staff with continuing professional development opportunities; advised on curriculum development and our investment in specialist facilities so that we are able to offer a relevant learning experience; and also provided direct support for our students with visiting lectures, workplace visits, work experience and ultimately job opportunities.

www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers

Karen Daniel, Branch Manager for the Skipton Building Society, said: “The Skipton Building Society recognises the importance of investing in its people and their continued development. We work closely with City College Plymouth and are proud to be a member of the College's Employer Endorsement Scheme. The scheme has enabled us to get involved with the College and its students in a number of ways; from work experience opportunities for students through to providing expert advice at employer seminars.”

A GOOD College with OUTSTANDING Features - The Future The College, through embedding enterprise in all that we do, will aim to become an Outstanding College, as judged by Ofsted, by 2015.

Our commitment to developing employability skills, creating new and innovative ways of training and supporting entrepreneurship will ensure the College continues its positive impact on the community.

The full Ofsted report is now available on the College website (www.cityplym.ac.uk).

If you would like to find out more about working with the College, please contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

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Sector-based Skills Academies Working to Fill Skills Gaps City College Plymouth is supporting local employers to fill skills gaps by offering sector-based skills academies, which are specifically designed around the needs of individual businesses. Organisations that are facing skills gaps or are looking to diversify or relocate can access a pool of labour that has the knowledge and skills needed to make a positive impact on the business. Through sector-based skills academies, employers have the opportunity to access individuals with sector-specific knowledge and skills that meet the needs of the business, including employability skills, from day one.

Sector-based skills academies offer a cohesive approach to developing a future workforce as they involve the collaborative working of government agencies, including Jobcentre Plus, local industry and training providers. Academies draw on a pool of unemployed labour from the marketplace and give them an opportunity to gain sector-specific skills and knowledge in an environment that supports them. Participants are able to hone and refresh existing skills and gain new competencies, all of which support them to gain employment.

City College Plymouth has recently run a number of successful academies, with particular success in the engineering and manufacturing sectors. Academies are soon to be rolled out across the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors in the City too.

Inject Plastics (Devon) Ltd provides a plastic injection moulding service that supports the electronics, automotive and medical sectors.

As a result of a site move from another part of the county, the company suffered a shortfall in their workforce. The sector-based skills academy, set-up by City College Plymouth and Jobcentre Plus, enabled job seekers to learn the skills and knowledge required to work within Inject Plastics. In this, they were able to learn company methods, gain company knowledge and employability skills, such as writing application forms, before undertaking interviews with the company. Inject Plastics were able to fill their workforce shortages and remain at maximum output.

Sector-based skills academies benefit the world of business together with the local community who have access to training and work experience, as well as the opportunity to gain employment.

If you would like to find out more about sector-based skills academies, please contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

EE Case Study EE is the UK’s largest communications company providing mobile and fixed- broadband communications services to more than 27 million customers through the range, T-Mobile and EE brands. EE is working in partnership with City College Plymouth and Jobcentre Plus on a new initiative, which is designed to support unemployed individuals into work.

The ‘Work Inspiration Mentor’ programme has been designed to develop the employability skills of people who have been out of work, in order for them to have a greater chance of gaining employment in their chosen field.

Jane Yeates, Head of Site for the Orange Contact Centre in Plymouth, said: “We came up with the idea to inspire young people in the Plymouth area and help them on their journey into employment and we are delighted that City College Plymouth and Jobcentre Plus are on board. The exciting programme allows participants to experience the different roles within our organisation and gives them an opportunity to gain real insider knowledge around the day-to-day activities of a contact centre.”

Jane continued: “The eight week programme is much more indepth than traditional work experience as participants will be able to hone their customer service and technical skills.”

Participants will complete a level one Award in Progression with the support of City College Plymouth’s dedicated centre for the adult unemployed, the Plymouth Advice Centre for Employment (PACE).

Topics covering literacy, numeracy and customer service are being taught in order to provide participants with a real chance to

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improve their future job prospects. Classroombased study sessions are complemented by the practical, hands-on work experience programme being offered by EE. This allows those taking part to develop customer service skills, undertake administrative duties, work with ICT packages and gain experience of working within a team.

Deborah Parry, Senior Employer Relationship Manager at Jobcentre Plus, said: “The ‘Work Inspiration Mentor’ programme offers a great opportunity for the adult unemployed to gain valuable skills, training and work experience, all of which support our aim in getting people back into work. Jobcentre Plus is at the heart of delivering the government’s agenda to support people into work and remains focused on working with partners to ensure people have access to opportunities to develop new skills and gain experience. We are keen to roll out this initiative across other areas in the UK in order to maximise opportunities for those seeking employment.”

Sharron Robbie, Head of Corporate Relations at the College, said: “City College Plymouth is dedicated to providing opportunities for the unemployed in the region as this supports and stimulates economic growth within the City and wider region. The College’s strategic intent around opportunity, enterprise and employability means that we are committed to impacting positively upon the lives and prosperity of local people - the ‘Work Inspiration Mentor’ programme is an excellent example of this.”

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Workplace Learning - What’s on Offer?

Funding Currently Available ...

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are mainly delivered in the workplace and can support the changing operational needs of organisations and industry, which now require a much more flexible approach to training.

These nationally recognised qualifications enable organisations to increase the skills of their workforce and ultimately leads to higher organisational competitiveness.

Funding is currently available for those who undertake an enhanced NVQ programme, which offers a range of workshops within the formal setting of the College, alongside workplace assessments. This allows businesses to maximise funding available to them, offering a more cost-effective solution to developing the skills and competencies of staff. The enhanced NVQ offer available through City College Plymouth allows participants to put into practice the new skills they have been taught in the classroom.

The Duke of Cornwall’s Director of Operations, Jonathan Morcom, is certainly a fan of NVQs: “Since we started to use City College Plymouth for our training, staff turnover has reduced dramatically. Staff who are undertaking NVQs feel that they are valued and that they have something to aim for in terms of progression - they see employment within the Duke of Cornwall as a career rather than just a job.”

If you would like to find out more about NVQs and how they can benefit your business, please call the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

NVQ process across its workforce, and chose City College Plymouth to help deliver this, because of the College’s reputation for being able to deliver bespoke training within a supportive framework.

Case Study The Copthorne Hotel employs staff across many disciplines but its core workforce is concentrated in the hospitality, catering, customer service and housekeeping areas.

The hotel identified a business need for a supportive National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) training provider for its workforce across a number of areas. In the past, the hotel had received insufficient support from other providers which had resulted in employees not achieving, or qualifications taking longer than necessary to achieve.

Tracey Savage, HR and Training Manager at the Copthorne Hotel, said: “Working with the College has increased the skill and morale levels within the team and has assisted in staff retention. This is sound business sense as it reduces the business cost of recruiting staff and enables continuity within the team.

“The College’s excellent training provision, particularly in hospitality and catering and leisure and tourism, means that our workforce is receiving the very best training, ensuring we as a business have a workforce that is highly skilled and motivated and who have opportunities to progress within the industry.”

Hotel managers recognised the need to find a new training provider who would be able to support the workforce in attaining qualifications, whilst working in partnership to ensure that any programme of training met the needs of the business. The hotel was very keen to work with a provider who would help repair the negative view of the

Management Toolkit Our range of short courses for business owners, and existing and aspiring managers can support you and your team to gain skills, knowledge and confidence across a breadth of subjects. Courses are specifically designed to enable businesses to fill skills gaps for those in new posts, or to enable existing managers to up-skill and refresh their knowledge. These skills are crucial in enabling your business to function effectively and remain competitive.

www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers

Our range of one and two day courses are delivered by industry professionals and offer businesses cost-effective and time-effective solutions to support business needs. Many of the workshops are linked to employer seminars, which are run throughout the year and provide an introduction to our management toolkit programme.

Courses cost just £175 per person, inclusive of lunch, study aids and materials. It is simple to book, just call 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

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College Launches its Newly Refurbished Training Restaurant

Dates for your diaries ...

Employer Seminar Apprenticeships A ‘How to’ Guide Monday 18 February 6.00pm - 9.00pm ABB Energy Centre Kings Road

New Start Event Tuesday 8 January 4.00pm - 7.00pm Main Hall, Kings Road

Staff and students celebrating the launch of PL1 with celebrity chefs, Chris and James Tanner The College was proud to launch its newly refurbished training restaurant, PL1. Located at the Kings Road campus, PL1 welcomes members of the public and provides guests with a vibrant and quality dining experience in modern surroundings.

Run entirely by students under the expert guidance of College staff, when dining at PL1 you will experience excellent food, fine wines and service.

In preparing our students for employment in the hospitality industry, they work in state-of-the-art industrial kitchens to prepare fresh food using only the best local ingredients. The contemporary menus and range of dishes produced are served in the PL1 Restaurant, Brasserie and Deli Café, which together provide a realistic working environment to develop front-of-house and customer service skills and where the talent of our aspiring chefs and Maître D’s can be showcased.

For reservations please call 01752 305777 or e-mail PL1@cityplym.ac.uk.

Our annual New Start event will enable you to find out more about how to improve your career prospects, re-train or gain new skills.

Business Club Breakfast Friday 1 February 7.30am - 9.00am ABB Energy Centre Kings Road

Learn everything you need to know about Apprenticeships, including the funding available, the process of taking on an apprentice, the legal requirements and the business benefits.

Employer Seminar Utilising Social Media Monday 18 March 6.00pm - 9.00pm ABB Energy Centre Kings Road

This seminar will enable delegates to use social media effectively, saving time and money. Exploring social media Come along to this business channels such as Facebook, breakfast event and hear how City College Plymouth is working Twitter and LinkedIn, delegates will learn the processes and with local businesses benefits of using them for to support community business purposes. development and growth.

Technology, Engineering and Construction Open Day Saturday 9 February 10.00am - 1.00pm Main Hall, Kings Road

Higher Education Partnership Buffet Wednesday 27 March 6.00pm - 8.30pm PL1 Restaurant, Kings Road

This event provides a great opportunity for businesses to Now in its twelfth year, this highly hear about a different route to successful event highlights higher education - through the opportunities within this growing workplace. Guests will hear a sector and promotes first-hand account of the benefits Apprenticeships to young of higher-level qualifications and people. how this has enabled individuals and businesses to remain competitive.

Scan the code for more information and to pre-register your attendance Lesley Allinson - Plymouth Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Chris and James Tanner - Tanners Restaurant, Ben Shearn - The Treasury

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Prices vary and places can be reserved by calling 01752 305026 or e-mailing employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

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Grants for Employers Funding Available! Act Now! Apprenticeship grants for employers have been introduced to support employers who are looking to take on apprentices. The grants have been designed for organisations with up to 1,000 employees who wish to recruit an apprentice between the ages of 16 and 24.

Grants, which are worth up to £1,500 per apprentice, are available for up to ten apprentices. The only proviso is that an organisation has never employed an apprentice before, or has not recruited an apprentice in the last 12 months.

These grants will only be available for a limited time, so act now! If you would like to discuss this further, please contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

DID YOU KNOW? • 77% of employers believe Apprenticeships make them more competitive • 88% believe that Apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce • 80% feel that Apprenticeships reduce staff turnover • Plymouth is one of the top performing cities for successful Apprenticeships • Ofsted judged the College’s Apprenticeships provision as outstanding.

Source: Populus Survey conducted on behalf of the National Apprenticeship Service 2008 and College Ofsted report 2012.

Employer Seminar Apprenticeships A ‘How to’ Guide Monday 18 February 6.00pm - 9.00pm ABB Energy Centre, Kings Road

Learn everything you need to know about how to take on an apprentice and how they can benefit your business.

Delegates will hear from Sue Reed, Head of Work-based Learning at the College. Sue will highlight the benefits of employing an apprentice and the process of doing so. Delegates will also have the opportunity to hear from Mel Parsons and Mags Gallagher of Insight Legal, the specialist employment law firm in Plymouth, who will discuss the legal aspects of employing an apprentice.

This seminar costs just £15 per person, inclusive of all seminar materials and a hot buffet - group discounts are available. To book your place(s) please call the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

Higher Education Benefitting Business Workers with luxury yacht builder, Princess Yachts International plc, are benefitting from gaining higher education qualifications at the College.

David Newton Westlake, a Chargehand for the Outside Crew at Princess Yachts, is currently undertaking a Foundation Degree in Business Management with the College. The level 5 qualification, which can be studied on a full or part-time basis, enables participants to gain the communication and financial skills that are highly sought after in the private, public and voluntary sectors.

David, a trained engineer, recently visited the International College of Beijing in China, which allowed him to gain knowledge of Chinese business and culture, as well as learning Mandarin. Supported by Princess Yachts, David is able to use his new knowledge to benefit the business, which is looking towards the emerging Asian markets.

Scan the code for more information and to pre-register your attendance

The emerging markets in Asia are of great importance to Princess Yachts and David’s awareness around this is hugely beneficial.

David’s knowledge of Chinese culture, language, work ethos and business etiquette, as well as his general business skills, are already having a positive impact on the business.”

David added: “I have benefited immensely from undertaking the Business Management Foundation Degree with City College Plymouth. I have been able to develop my communication and planning skills. With this, I am able to put these new skills into practice on a daily basis at Princess Yachts.”

The Higher Education team at City College Plymouth is experienced in supporting businesses to access a wide range of higher level skills in order to support the development of skills and knowledge within the workforce. Our short courses include flexible, self-contained modules taken from our wide range of foundation degrees and higher national certificates. Employees can study modules one-by-one or as a standalone training course, or gain credits towards a nationally recognised foundation degree.

Any three modules can also be grouped together to form a Certificate of Professional Development, awarded by Plymouth University.

For a full list of courses available, or to discuss your higher education needs, please contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

Tony Body, Senior Cell Manager at Princess Yachts, said: “Princess Yachts is dedicated to the up-skilling and development of its workforce, which not only benefits the individual, but the business as a whole.

www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers

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Commercial Offer

Commercial Print Services

City College Plymouth is able to offer a range of commercial services to other businesses and organisations located in the City and beyond. To find out more about any of the following options, simply telephone 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

College Hair and Day Spa Our Hair and Day Spa offers a full range of services from luxury day spa packages, to regular essential hair and beauty needs such as cut and blow dry’s, nail treatments and waxing. Treatments are competitively priced to take into account that they are carried out by level 3 students. Clients wishing to book with a member of staff can do so, and should indicate their preference when booking.

City College Plymouth’s print team can offer a variety of services at competitive prices.

Offering a fast and professional service, no job is too small. Services include:

Our exclusive day spa packages make excellent rewards for your staff or corporate hospitality packages.

• design • printing and copying: colour and black and white

Revive Package

• binding

Back massage, mini facial and a shampoo and blow dry for £25

• laminating.

Energize Package

Call us today on 01752 305316 or e-mail MAPPcentral@cityplym.ac.uk for a quote or to discuss your requirements.

Back massage, mini facial and nail tidy for £25 For more information or to book please call 01752 856900 or e-mail pure@cityplym.ac.uk.

Restaurant

College Gift Vouchers ] Q S Y X L P P I K I 4 P ' M X ] ' S

Gift Voucher

Gift Voucher ] Q S Y X L P P I K I 4 P ' M X ] ' S

Our licensed training restaurant is open to the public (term time only) and provides an ideal setting to enjoy good-value, delicious meals. All meals are prepared and served by our hospitality and catering students, under the expert guidance of College staff.

Luncheon: Monday - Friday Three courses for £10.00 per person (tea and filter coffee £1.00 per person supplement).

Buy someone the perfect gift this year and treat them to a City College Plymouth gift voucher!

Our contemporary menus use fresh local, seasonal produce. We can cater for special dietary needs with notice, and vegetarian options are always available.

Dinner: Wednesdays and Thursdays

You can purchase vouchers for £10, £25, £50 and £100, which can be redeemed against the following College products or services:

Ideally suited to act as a venue for you to host corporate events and meetings, our restaurant also offers easy access to the City and free parking.

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Service time: 12.00 noon - 2.00pm

Service time: 6.45pm for 7.00pm Superb four-course meals from £17.50 per person (tea and filter coffee £1.00 per person supplement).

For reservations please call 01752 305777 or e-mail PL1@cityplym.ac.uk.

• College hair and beauty salons • PL1 Training Restaurant and Deli Café • College course fees.

To purchase a gift voucher call the Finance Office on 01752 305701.

Mailing List If you have received a copy of this newsletter from a colleague and would like to be added to our mailing list, or you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please telephone 01752 305026 or e-mail your name, job title, company name and full address to employers@cityplym.ac.uk.

When you have finished with this, please recycle it.