South West Water City College Plymouth has helped waste water operatives at South West Water improve their literacy skills whilst gaining a greater understanding of health and safety in the workplace. The training has been designed in consultation with staff at South West Water and the trade union Unite. South West Water is part of Pennon Group plc, and provides reliable, efficient and high quality drinking water and waste water services throughout Cornwall and Devon and in small areas of Dorset and Somerset. The College was able to access and utilise available funding in order to design a bespoke programme of workshops aimed at health and safety, whilst also supporting improvements in literacy and numeracy. College staff spent time at a number of South West Water sites in order to understand the processes being used.
Gaining an understanding and knowledge of the work being carried out enabled training workshops to be personalised and ultimately meant that the subject matter being taught was of extreme relevance to the South West Water employees who attended. The College has now delivered this programme of training to five groups of South West Water staff. The workshops have been deemed so successful that staff from across Devon and Cornwall have travelled to Plymouth to take part in further workshops.
City College Plymouth - Employer Case Study