Call Centre Training Achieves Top Grade
Contact Centre Professional (CCP), which trains unemployed adults how to handle telephone enquiries in call centres, has been awarded a grade 1 “outstanding” by the government’s Adult Learning Inspectorate. The Newcastle-based firm was awarded the highest grade – achieved only by a handful of training organisations in the country – for its retailing, customer service […]
NHS Launches Training and Development Hotline
The NHS is launching a new helpline to offer advice on its Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF).The KSF defines and describes the knowledge and skills that NHS staff need to apply in their work to deliver a quality service. It provides a single, consistent, comprehensive and explicit framework on which to base the review and […]
Case Study: Royal Mail delivers First Class HCI Service
Royal Mail implemented the government’s Home Computing Initiative (HCI) to inject meaning to Chairman, Alan Leighton’s objective to make the organisation ‘a great place to work’. So far 22,000 employees have signed up heralding the scheme a success. About the businessRoyal Mail Group is a public limited company wholly owned by the government, comprising three […]
Bank Predicts Worsening Skills Gap in 2005
The UK’s skills gap is expected to stretch this year, making it hard for employers to fill technical positions. A fresh report by Lloyds TSB bank predicts that skills shortages could lead to labour market ‘bottlenecks’. In turn, it says, this could have an upward influence on wages for many skilled positions. According to a […]
IIP Tells Employers to Invest in Skills
Investors in People (IIP) are calling on businesses to put improvements in their employee’s skills high on the agenda and boost productivity in 2005.The appeal follows research by the Future Foundation which shows that whilst British bosses recognise the importance of employee development in delivering overall productivity, they are reluctant to invest in their staff […]
Mid-Size Companies Cite Skills Shortage as Key Challenge for 2005
Skills shortages are set to be one of the biggest barriers to growth for medium-sized companies in 2005, new research has revealed.A survey by KPMG and the London Chamber of Commerce of 1,000 middle market businesses in London found that 67% of companies felt that the high costs associated with employing staff and skills shortages […]
New Chief for UK Skills
Dr Graeme Hall has been appointed chief executive of UK Skills, the independent organisation which champions skills and learning for work through competitions, awards and events.Dr Hall’s new role is a promotion from his previous position as deputy chief executive, a post he has held since 2000.Chris Humphries CBE, chairman of UK Skills and director […]
SMEs ‘Must Focus on Training’
Almost half of small and medium-sized enterprises have accused employees of having poor standards of education and training. A survey shows that 43% of SMEs have difficulties in recruiting because of inadequate levels of education or training in the workforce. Over a quarter (28%) said that both poor standards in education and inadequate training were […]
Hospitality Industry ‘Failed by Education System’
The tourism and hospitality industry says it is being failed by the UK’s education system.According to a study by the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, People 1st, 85 per cent of employers and trade associations in the industry feel that schools do not adequately prepare people for the world of work. […]
Feature: Conducting a Training Needs Analysis
If you are about to undertake, or are in the middle of a training needs analysis then read this guide to help you through the process by Sharon Bartram and Brenda Gibson, authors of Training Needs Analysis. Follow the series of questions to prompt you through the stages of a needs analysis. To get you […]
Case Study: HMV’s Hiring is Top of the Pops
HMV, the UK’s specialist retailer of music, DVDs and games, is using a retail-specific psychometric assessment to help select candidates for its graduate training programme. Developed by PSL, the ‘three-in-one’ assessment comprises verbal and numerical reasoning tests and a personality questionnaire. It gives HMV an in-depth understanding of each candidate and it prompts interviewers to […]
Feature: Training – The Missing Element in Successful Mergers and Acquisitions?
By Jon Buttriss, Executive Director, Thomson NETgTough economic times over the past five years have seen an unprecedented number of companies going through the mergers and acquisitions process, however, according to Robert J. Thomas, 50-80% of companies that have merged fail to match their previous performance. In many cases, the failure is caused by a […]
Feature: Effective IT Training
Ayaz Rathore, Director of Communications at R-Com Consulting Limited looks at how IT training methods are changing and questions which is the most effective way to learn. In the past technical education has focused on one-size fits all. Major software companies have chosen to develop instructor-led courses in a single country that are then translated […]
Police Prove Leadership Skills
Members of West Midlands Police have become the first in any UK force to achieve Chartered Manager status, in recognition of their management and leadership skills.Chief Superintendent Malcolm Coall, Chief Inspector Mick Gillick, Inspector Scott McKenna, and fingerprint enhancement unit manager Sarah Merrick achieved the award from the Chartered Management Institute for success in delivering […]
Staff Would Swap Jobs to Secure Training
Three-quarters of employees say they would consider moving jobs if they did not feel they were receiving the right development opportunities, according to a new poll.A survey by Media Logic found that despite the fact the majority of employees have only undertaken one or two business courses a year, 50% of staff still perceive training […]
Retailers Shirk Training Seasonal Staff
Retailers fear that customer service levels and the ability to restock shelves quickly will suffer this Christmas as a direct result of staff shortages but despite the findings only a fifth will consider training as an option for improving things.Deloitte’s Christmas retail survey shows that one in five retailers is concerned that they will be […]
Creative Industries Must Up-Skill to Meet Global Challenge
The UK’s creative and cultural industries face a looming global challenge that could threaten their future, according to a new report by Charles Leadbeater, an adviser on the government’s strategy on creative industries. In the report, ‘Britain’s Creativity Challenge’, Mr Leadbeater warns that complacency about the UK’s strengths could lead to under-investment as a time […]
More Employers Must Train Warns TUC
The TUC is calling on government to target the 40% of employers who do not offer training to their staff. The Paid Time off to Learn report highlights the crucial role a new national training programme will play in encouraging employers to offer training to their employees. However, it warns that the 40% of employers […]
Training to Meet FSA Guidelines in the Insurance Sector
New regulations coming into force next month for the insurance sector from the FSA include guidelines on employee training and competence. Jane Owen from Skillsarena explains how companies are affected and how they can ensure compliance. For anyone involved in general insurance 14 January 2005 is a significant date in the diary. This is the […]
Workplace Learning Boosting Union Membership
Trade union membership is rising in workplaces where unions are promoting learning and training at work, according to a report by the TUC. The report ‘Union strength through the learning agenda’ suggests that unions enjoy a stronger standing in the workplace where they have reacted to the learning needs of the workforce. The perception of […]
