New initiative launched to up-skill Staffordshire workforce
STAFFORDSHIRE Chambers of Commerce and Stoke-on-Trent College are joining forces to create the Chamber Business College.
The plan is to provide a comprehensive range of training services to Staffordshire businesses in one place.
Chamber Business College will offer support under four main categories – management and business, communication, information technology and import and export.
The joint venture partners’ research shows that these four areas are those in which the local workforce most need training and advice.
Linda McQuade, training and enterprise manager at Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “A great deal of hard work has gone into developing our offering and I’m delighted that we now have a one-stop-training-solution that will provide local business with a seamless training and development service.
“At the Chamber Business College we recognise that a well-trained workforce will have far reaching benefits for businesses and will help increase efficiency, morale and productivity.
“Between the Chamber and the college there is a wealth of business training and development expertise, and under this new venture we can unite to provide a comprehensive service to SMEs across the region.”
Andrew Greenhough, director of employer engagement at Stoke-on-Trent College, said: “As part of the service we can offer companies an organisational needs analysis that will help them to identify and understand the training needs of their business.
“ESF funding means that we can provide this service to businesses with up to 250staff at no cost, meaning that all funds can go directly into staff training.
“We can also do the same for individual staff and provide them with a training roadmap to help them reach their true potential.
“Both the college and the Chamber believe in continuous skills enhancement to drive regional economic growth. To meet the dynamic needs of industry, businesses should look to up-skill continuously their present workforce and invest in staff development.”
