18 October 2006
A national training scheme that gives employers access to free training and advice is available locally at Farnborough College of Technology.
Train to Gain is a new £1 billion government initiative that aims to help businesses get the training they need to succeed. It is available to any size company, but is particularly suited to small to medium sized companies as those with less than 50 employees will be compensated for the time staff spend in training.
The College is at the forefront of the programme in the South East. It has won a contract to deliver training, whether it be at College or in the workplace, from basic reading and maths up to key technician level and beyond. Training will be provided free for those businesses that have employees who do not have level 2 qualifications (equivalent to 5 GCSEs A-C).
Steve Fear, Director of Development at the College, is excited by the opportunities available to local employers. "We have a wide range of courses," he said. "They can be tailored to a business and delivered at a time suitable to them, which may be in the workplace. It’s a very flexible programme."
Courses on offer at Farnborough include construction skills, engineering, early years and care training, and IT.
To help businesses access the training, a free Skills Broker service has been set up. This offers independent and practical advice and will carry out training needs analyses to highlight specific areas.
"We are ready and waiting to go,” said Steve. "However, we do have limited places on courses, so I urge employers to hurry – don't leave it too late."
For more information, please contact Steve on 01252 407195.