The number of
people gaining a qualification through the Train to Gain programme
has hit the one million mark, the Government announced today.
The millionth learner, Chris Scott, a process operator at
chemical manufacturer William Blythe Ltd, in Accrington, completed
his level 2 NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques on January 29
this year.
Chris’s work involves manufacturing chemicals and handling
finished materials. He is one of 62 people at William Blythe Ltd
to have completed a qualification through Train to Gain.
Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said:
“This is a great achievement for the programme and for each of
the one million people who have now gained a qualification that
will help them get on at work. With new skills they can further
their own careers and make a significant impact on the business
they work for.
“Train to Gain has been hugely effective and both learners and
employers have seen the benefits. Chris’s hard work and
determination is a great example of the results the programme can
have and the rewards that are there for employers who invest in
their workforce.”
Chris said:
“Learning new skills on the job and working on projects in teams
has helped us to quickly make improvements to the way we work. We
all feel pleased to have got this qualification and if it allows
us to win new business then it will be a success all round.”
Tim Hughes, Managing Director, William Blythe Ltd, said:
“Training our workforce in this way has been a good business
decision. All businesses are going to increasingly rely on the
skills of their employees if they are to compete effectively in
the future.
“This investment has provided the skills needed to improve
problem solving, teamwork and continuous improvement across the
business. I am proud of the achievement made by our employees.”
In a recent LSC survey of employers who use the training
initiative, 80 per cent said they were likely to recommend Train
to Gain to other employers and use it again themselves. A
significant number of employers (41 per cent) also said Train to
Gain had helped them cope with the recession.
Geoff Russell, LSC Chief Executive said:
“Congratulations to Chris Scott, the one millionth learner, and
to his employer William Blythe Ltd. Train to Gain has made a real
difference to employers and more than three-quarters of all
businesses say using Train to Gain gave their workforce valuable
job-related skills and resulted in increased performance.
“Businesses like William Blythe benefit from better motivated,
more skilled and more committed staff. This leads to better
services and products, which is crucial for long-term
competitiveness.
“I’m delighted that employees like Chris are benefiting from
gaining qualifications through Train to Gain. Businesses like
William Blythe Ltd are not only accessing the benefits of Train to
Gain to invest in the skills the economy needs now and in the
future, but reaffirming their commitment to training their
workforce by making their own investment in further training.”
More than 175,000 employers have now been engaged
through Train to Gain brokerage services. In 2010-11, the
Government plans to invest nearly £1 billion through Train to
Gain, building on the £38 billion that employers are already
investing in training each year.
Notes to editors
Skills Minister Kevin Brennan will meet with Chris Hughes and
Tim Hughes today at the Integrated Employment and Skills event at
the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster. The minister’s speech
from this event will be available on the BIS website. The LSC
published two reports in February containing the results of
employer and learner surveys of Train to Gain. These reports can
be found here: www.lsc.gov.uk. Statistics on Train to Gain are
published in the series Statistical First Release: Post 16
Education & Skills: Learner Participation and Outcomes.
The latest copy can be found at:
www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09.Figures published in
December showed that there was a cumulative total of 960,000 Train
to Gain achievements up until October 2009. The next edition of
this Release will be published on the 25th March, and will include
information on Train to Gain up to the end of January 2010. LSC
research has recently identified the one millionth achiever in
Train to Gain.Launched in 2006 and managed by the Learning and
Skills Council (LSC), Train to Gain is the Government’s flagship
service to support employers in England, of all sizes, and in all
sectors, to improve the skills of their employees, unlock talent
and drive improved business performance. A key element of Train to
Gain are Business Link Advisors who offer employers impartial
advice and at no cost, helping them to find the best training
solution from high-quality and responsive training.
6. Train to Gain is now part of the Solutions for Business
portfolio - a streamlined suite of government-funded support
products for businesses accessible via Business Link.
7. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published
Skills for Growth – the National Skills Strategy in
November 2009, which sets out an ambitious vision for giving
people and businesses the skills they need to help drive economic
growth. The Government will create a modern class of technicians
through a dramatic expansion of advanced apprenticeships, creating
35,000 new places over the next two years. For further
information, see:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/skillsforgrowth
8. For more information contact BIS press office on 020 7215 5951.
Case study:
Founded in 1845 William Blythe Ltd is a manufacturer of inorganic
chemicals intended for use in a broad spectrum of industrial
applications, including pharmaceutical, electronics, glass
production, food stuffs and biocidal preparations. Based in
Church, Accrington the company has 80 employees. William Blythe
Ltd is part of Yule Catto, the leading chemicals group.
Challenges
Before the recession the company made some tough choices as
manufacturing and the chemicals industry were facing ever
increasing competition from suppliers across the globe. The
business was built around lower margin commodity products but,
with the customer base consolidating or moving east, the business
was suffering. The company refocused on higher value, application
knowledge based products which resulted in a reorganisation
including a thorough assessment of the skills of the workforce.
Management decided to improve the core competencies of the
workforce to support their market ambitions. As a result of this
strategy William Blythe Ltd is weathering the economic storm and
developing the business as an increasingly specialised
manufacturer and supplier into its markets worldwide.
Aims
The company wanted to create a common culture within the
organisation for continuous improvement, which was a crucial
element if it was to realise its ambition to refocus on higher
value knowledge based products.
Process
William Blythe Ltd employed the services of the Process
Industries Centre for Manufacturing Excellence Engineers. PICME is
a DTI (now BIS) sponsored initiative using the 5C approach to
improving manufacturing excellence. Through Sysco and Partnership
for Learning the company was able to access the Train to Gain
funding and support which made this reorganisation possible.
Benefits to the employer
The company has noticed a closer team spirit, improved
flexibility and a more productive operation. The tools and
techniques learnt are being used to improve standards across the
business. Putting the majority of the workforce through Level 2
NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) has given employees
the ability to work as effective teams in problem solving and
improvement activities. The immediate benefit has been seen in the
speed and manner in which problems are handled.
Tim Hughes, Managing Director, William Blythe Ltd:
“Training our workforce in this way has been a good business
decision. All businesses are going to increasingly rely on the
skills of their employees if they are to compete effectively in
the future. This investment has provided the skills needed to
improve problem solving, teamwork and continuous improvement
across the business. I am proud of the achievement made by our employees.”
Commitment to training
The company released people to undertake the training, and funded
all of PICME's expenses. This represented about
200hrs/person away from their job. Out of 80 employees 64
undertook the BIT Level 2 NVQ. 62 successfully gained their
qualification with two only missing out due to long term absence.
Roy Pickthall, Operations Director, William Blythe Ltd:
“We have recognised the value of continuous training and will be
wholly funding 12 of those who gained their Level 2 NVQ to
continue to Level 3. The focus will be on embedding the Level 2
learning in a series of improvement projects with a target of
£500K impact on the business.”
Benefits to the learner
All the trainees have gained a qualification where many had no
previous formal qualification. They have been offered the
opportunity to have a greater impact on the business and generally
feel more engaged in the future of the company. The training was
offered across the company from cleaners to quality managers,
including operators, technicians, engineers and lab staff. The
company feels that this had widespread impact across the business,
as well as a positive effect on the individuals involved.
Chris Scott, a process operator at William Blythe Ltd was the
1,000,000 th person to benefit from the Train to Gain programme.
“Learning new skills on the job and working on projects in teams
has helped to us to quickly make improvements to the way we work.
We all feel pleased to have got this qualification and if it
allows us to win new business then it will be a success all round.”
TIM HUGHES is the Managing
Director of William Blythe Ltd. He has been MD for 12 months but
has been in the chemical industry mainly in the UK for his whole
career. He says Train to Gain is a good business decision and this
is the second company in which he has used this training
programme. A culture change was needed at William Blythe Ltd to
allow them to focus on speciality products and that meant the
skills level of the workforce had to improve. He sees this as a
typical situation for UK manufacturing industry, and the UK
chemical industry in particular, as new and often low-cost
competitors appear from the emerging economies with access to
global customers. This means there’s an increasing need for
specialisation and to achieve that you need better skills and
knowledge and a better trained workforce.
CHRIS SCOTT is an employee with William
Blythe Ltd. He is 24, has been with the company since 2007 and has
been in the chemical industry for 7 years. He is a process
operator, a chemicals-based job which involves manufacturing
chemicals and handling the finished materials. He has 9 GCSEs
and passed his NVQ last year. Chris was able to complete his
training following the temporary flexibilities added to the
programme last year to help small businesses use Train to Gain
during the recession.
For further information the case studies, please contact LSC
press office on 02476 82 3515.
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Joanna Fletcher
Phone: 020 7215 5951
Joanna.Fletcher@bis.gsi.gov.uk