EMPLOYER NEWSLETTER September 2013
SWC Employer Newsletter Issue 1
In This Issue
Appren ceships with South Worcestershire College Appren ceship programmes are being widely recognised as the way for young people to get on track for a career in their chosen area, and at the same me, giving the employer the supply of skills required for the business. Consequently, we are finding that we have more young people than ever before who are interested in an Appren ceship. Of course, all Appren ces have to be employed by an organisa on and more vacancies are needed to accommodate this demand. An Appren ceship is a unique blend of ‘on the job’ and ‘off the job’ training, the majority taking place at the employer’s premises. For young people, the cost of training is funded by the Government and the employer is responsible for paying a wage. In addi on, grants are available for eligible employers. There are a broad range of sectors available, with Business Administra on being par cularly popular. This area covers a spectrum of careers in finance, customer service, accountancy, and administra on to name but a few. If you are an employer who would like to know more about Appren ceships, or have a vacancy, please contact …. appren ceships@sworcs.ac.uk
Automo ve & Motor Vehicle SWC offers a learning experience that helps to equip young people with the skills that they need to go straight into industry, ‘adding value’ from Day One. In July and August, 85% of our Advanced Level Motor Vehicle students studying full‐ me at the College gained jobs in the industry with local and regional employees in the trade. We wish them success in their careers!
Apprenticeships with SWC
Automotive & Motor Vehicle
Manufacturing & Engineering
Introduction from the Principal
Be creative…relieve your stress and develop a new hobby
Automotive Custom Body Paint
University Success for SWC students
Federation of Small Businesses
Top Skills level in Hair and Beauty
Training to support your productivity
Raising the Participation Age What does this mean?
‘Greening the Vale’
Did you know that if you employ apprenƟces you can start using the employer badge?
Manufacturing and Engineering
The Rotec Academy, in partnership with SWC, is being launched in September 2013. The Academy will deliver a training environment allowing young people to be trained at the work bench and be exposed to the real world of engineering as soon as possible. The Training Academy will work closely with industry to create a career path for appren ces leading to employment. Based on the Vale Park estate in Evesham, the Academy will be housed within a new purpose‐built unit. The learning environment and values are being aligned from the outset to the real business environment. Rela onships with plant manufacturers and material stockists will facilitate access to the latest equipment and a broad range of materials.
For more informa on about this scheme please contact contactus@sworcs.ac.uk (Young people are being interviewed now for Autumn 2013 or poten ally, for a January 2014 start.)
Introduc on from the Principal Welcome to the first edi on of our Newsle er for employers. We hope to keep you up‐dated with some of the new ini a ves that South Worcestershire College is involved in and also to celebrate the achievements of our students. I refer to ‘our’ students as many will be employed by you as Appren ces or find jobs with your organisa ons at the end of their programmes. If you require more informa on about any of the ar cles in the Newsle er please contact employers@sworcs.ac.uk Viv Gillespie Principal
Why not call in to the Costa Coffee bar, located in the Hub at College (Evesham campus), either on your way to work for a breakfast and coffee, or for lunch. We are also open in the twilight period for evening students
Be Crea ve …...relieve your stress and develop and a new hobby The School of Art at Malvern has a long history of serving the crea ve needs of the local Community. Established in 1886 it moved to our Malvern Campus in 1927 and many of the tradi onal workshops and studios are s ll in use alongside our contemporary studios. Set at the base of the Malvern Hills we offer a wide variety of Art and Cra s in peaceful studio se ngs. Subjects on offer include drawing, pain ng, life drawing, embroidery, silver jewellery, sculpture, printmaking, stained glass, water‐ colour, portraiture, woodcarving, bookbinding, and courses in the history and philosophy of art. Classes run day, evenings, weekends and as a Summer School and could be an ideal way to help employees to unwind a er a busy day at work. All tutors are prac cing ar sts and classes have been tried and tested by many of our own tutors including our own Vice Principals who have recently developed new skills in botanical illustra on and jewellery. We would be delighted to offer be or tailor‐made classes for your employees well‐being.
Automo ve Custom Body and Paint Our exci ng partnership with JVCE opens new opportuni es in the automo ve sector for custom body and paint training. JVCE are conver ng the former Leisure Centre in Evesham (next door to our Davies Road campus) into a state of the art facility. The programmes start in September and are suitable for those who wish to enter the Vehicle body work and related Fabrica on industries. The Centre will also provide a venue for community interest events, host car clubs, and for business to business commerce.
University success for South Worcestershire College Sports and Public Service students A record number of students from our Advanced level courses in Sport, and Public Services are heading for University this September. Students have achieved excep onally high grades, including many Dis nc on *s (equivalent to 3 A levels at Grade A*) and have been accepted onto Degree programmes in Sports Development, Coaching Science, Sports Therapy, and Policing and Criminal Jus ce. Universi es set to receive our students include the University of South Wales, Worcester, Portsmouth, De Mon ort – Leicester, Leeds Met, Oxford Brookes, and Staffordshire. Congratula ons to them and best wishes for the future! Students at Intermediate level (Level 2) have also achieved overall high grades ‐ gaining Dis nc ons and Merits. Many have now le College to work in the industry and have set out on their chosen career path. The programmes are successful in preparing students for the world of work and give them excellent employability skills. Ex‐student Laura Ball has spent the summer in America, a er being offered a job as a training coach at a Summer Camp – a fantas c experience and opportunity for her to use her College‐acquired skills!
Federa on of Small Businesses bring ‘Strictly Networking’ to Evesham in partnership with SWC A series of events are being planned to start in the autumn of 2013 at the Evesham campus of SWC. The events, which will run at lunch mes, will be held approximately three mes per year. They are a great way to meet other local business owners, promote your own business and learn what the College and its students can do to meet your business needs. Bring your business cards and enjoy a cup of coffee while you chat with likeminded business owners. The forthcoming events will be publicised on the College and the FSB events website in the near future. SWC is keen to help our students understand what it takes to run a business and what employers expect from employees. For further informa on about the Federa on of Small Businesses see: www.fsb.org.uk www.fsb.org.uk/benefits
Top Skills Level in Hair and Beauty Hair and Beauty students from SWC are demonstra ng high‐levels of skills acquired during their training. This year, three finalists will be compe ng in the Na onal World Skills finals in November, to be held at the NEC in Birmingham. This is an amazing achievement for the College and is a credit to staff who trained them, as well as the talented students. World Skills hold na onal skill compe ons on an annual basis across the full spectrum of sector areas, such as construc on, motor vehicle, IT and Web‐ development. The ‘team’ to represent the UK will be drawn from the finals in November and will then compete on a world stage held every two years. The last World Skills event was held in London and helped to raise awareness of just how talented our voca onally trained young people are. SWC is no stranger to compe ng and winning at a UK level. Our Hair and Beauty team have already won medals in previous years at the UK Skills final. Congratula ons to the team and good luck for November! If you want to find out more about World Skills visit www.worldskillsuk Compe ons are open to Appren ceships and employed young people as well as students.
Training to support your produc vity: Would your business benefit from a more skilled and well‐trained workforce? The Employer Team at SWC can help with training needs analysis, and design of bespoke training to meet your ’on’ and ’off‐site’ needs. We also offer a range of standard programmes where individuals can discuss skills training including: Health and Safety, Customer Service Administra on, Office Technology, Management and Business/ Accountancy, First Aid, English and Maths, and much more. Full lis ngs are available via the website www.sworcs.ac.uk or in the Part‐ me brochure. If your employee is 24 or over, they may be en tled to a loan to help pay the course fee. Eligible courses include Level 3 and Level 4 programmes or Advanced Appren ceships. More informa on is available on the website or contact Learner Services on 01386 712601. For Employer Training contact: employers@sworcs.ac.uk
Raising the par cipa on age ‐ what does this mean? The Government has changed the law so that from the start of September 2013, all young people are required to con nue in educa on or training, un l the end of the academic year in which they turn 17. From the summer 2015, this will be un l their 18th birthday. Young people have a choice about how they con nue in educa on or training, post 16:
Full‐ me at College, training provider, or in school.
Full‐ me work or volunteering combined with part‐ me educa on, or training via an Appren ceship.
Full‐ me work is defined as a job las ng for 8 weeks or more and for 20 or more hours per week. Part‐ me training is defined as 280 learning hours per year, which equates roughly to one day per week.
How can an employer support their 16 or 17 year old employees to meet their new du es? Having a trained and qualified workforce has clear benefits for a business and I’m sure that businesses will wish to support their young employees either through considering an Appren ceship route, or through discussion with the employee, iden fying a suitable part‐ me course that will develop the relevant skills for your business. SWC has a number of op ons (all of which are fully‐funded for this age group). We can talk to you about conversion to an Appren ceship programme, or about ’Learn to Earn’ op ons, which provide a part‐ me learning route for full‐ me employees. For more informa on contact employers@sworcs.ac.uk or visit the SWC website www.sworcs.ac.uk
‘Greening the Vale’ ‐ Video Transi on Evesham Vale is currently working in partnership with a crea ve team of local professionals to create a short film to celebrate some of the innova ve ‘green ini a ves’ that are now becoming a feature in many parts of the Vale of Evesham. Led internally by Caroline Su on (Media Tutor), staff and students at SWC have been gaining valuable industry experience by working with professionals and involving them in community projects. Media, Graphics and Photography students have been ac vely involved in helping with the filming of ‘Greening the Vale’. The project is in its final stages of comple on. Alistair McGowan has agreed to introduce the film and plans are in progress by TEV to launch later this year.
Organisa on Logo Board Many thanks to those organisa ons who are showing their support for SWC! Our new Logo Board, on display in the newly‐refurbished Recep on area on the Evesham campus, gives a flavour of some of the successful local and na onal organisa ons we are providing training for, or who support us in other ways. If you are interested in developing closer links with SWC, please email employers@sworcs.ac.uk
Gas Training and Assessment for Natural Gas and LPG The Energy Training Centre will not charge you VAT ‐ saving you a massive 20%* on your training costs! Book now by calling 01386 712675 today. *some exclusions apply.
If you would like to receive an electronic copy of this and future Employer Newsletters, please respond via employers@sworcs.ac.uk
Contact Us: South Worcestershire College, Davies Road , Evesham, Worcs, WR11 1LP www.sworcs.ac.uk; employers@sworcs.ac.uk; appren ceships@sworcs.ac.uk; Tel. 01386 712600