Partner Article

Over 2,900 employees benefit from free skills training in North and East Yorkshire

Over 2,900 people in North and East Yorkshire have benefited from free skills training through a programme to support businesses in upskilling employees, raising productivity and boosting business growth.

Since the £5.7 million Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) fund was made available last year, over 900 businesses have taken advantage of the opportunity for their staff to gain professional training across a range of skills and sectors.

The scheme is designed to specifically give SMEs in North and East Yorkshire the chance to upskill their workforce, to fill the region’s skills gaps and provide employees with valuable expertise and knowledge to enhance business success.

Cat Smith, Regional Development Manager of the SSW project in North and East Yorkshire, said: “It is brilliant to see our programme help even more businesses following the extension of the project earlier this year.

“Businesses from all sectors in the area are benefiting from upskilling their staff, including increasing staff motivation and improving productivity levels – all as a result of engaging their employees through challenging but rewarding training. Funding is only available until March 2019, so we would strongly encourage other businesses to take advantage while it’s there.”

Working with the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership, SSW’s local training providers have courses covering a wide range of employability skills, as well as specific courses across their priority sectors: agriculture, voluntary, community and social enterprise, construction, bio renewables, health and social care, food manufacture, visitor economy and engineering.

The programme was commissioned by the LEP to address skills issues in the area. Annabel Jelley, Head of Skills at the York, North Yorkshire, East Riding Enterprise Partnership, said: “We have excellent training available for employees and businesses in the area and we are delighted with the high numbers that have engaged so far. There is still funding available but there’s not a lot of time left, so we would really like to reach out to all employers across the region and encourage them to take advantage of the opportunity.

“Research shows that only a third of employees are highly engaged at work and the fully-funded training can assist with this by increasing motivation and general productivity. It is a very exciting time for the region and we look forward to continuing to support the growth we’ve already seen.”

Delivered by Calderdale College - one of the country’s largest providers of European Social Fund funded training - through local providers, the training is for businesses based in the Local Enterprise Partnership area.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Calderdale College .