£500,000 initiative to improve customer service in Manchester

A £500,000 employment training scheme is being launched to improve the customer skills of Manchester’s workforce.

The new Synapse Academy intends to train a new generation on of staff to excel at customer service while gaining industry-leading qualifications.

The scheme aims to place 300 16 to 24-year-old jobseekers in training within the first 12 months.

Synapse has already taken on 60 jobseekers from the Manchester area as its inaugural tranche of learners.

It has been devised by human resources expert Bill Tolmie who has previously worked with blue chip firms including BMW, Vodafone, and the Caudwell Group.

He said:  “Customer services is at the heart of most industries and offers a range of opportunities in almost every sector in a variety of roles.

“There is a massive opportunity to improve employee’s entry into the work place to help not only the individual but the industry.

“Synapse is a win-win for both employees and employers and offers a great solution to an ongoing problem faced by the customer service industry.

“The idea for Synapse really came to me when I was continually faced with people entering work for the first time who were unable to perform in the work environment.

“In addition to the huge cost and resource issue, there was continual disruption to the business.

“Synapse bridges the gap between education and employment that’s just not being addressed effectively anywhere else.

“This is a tried and tested model that’s now available to SMEs and large corporates in the Manchester area.”  

Synapse will work in partnership with public and private employers across the UK, with the support of National and European funding partners including the Learning Skills Council National Apprenticeship Service, Job Centre Plus, Connexions and OfSted, as well as local organisations to find candidates and businesses to benefit from the scheme.