This week’s training news
Funds for bus learning
Bus operator First Group has launched a lifelong learning initiative which
will give its employees in Glasgow and North Ayrshire the opportunity to gain
qualifications. The initiative, developed in conjunction with the T&G union,
will allow employees access to funding for courses from the company and the
Scottish Executive. First Group has also agreed to provide time off for T&G
shop stewards in their main Scottish depots at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen
to receive training in the role of union learning representatives. Â www.firstgroup.com
Coaching on the move
UK construction services company the Miller Group has used a mobile
classroom to overcome its lack of training facilities. The company managed to
train 1,000 employees in the use of its intranet system by designing a mobile
coaching room. The coach supplied by training company PC Coaching covered 50
sites across the UK in three months. Â www.miller.co.uk
ILAs reach 1m mark
Education and employment secretary David Blunkett has announced that the
number of people signing up for an Individual Learning Account has reached the
1 million mark. Interest in the scheme has been widespread since it was
launched last summer. Take-up has been the lowest in the North-East, with just
44,000 accounts opened, compared with an average of 100,000 around the rest of
the UK. Â www.dfee.gov.uk
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JobCentre soft option
As part of a government initiative to modernise the employment service,
staff at JobCentres across the UK are being trained on how to use new software.
The project has involved trainers from Spring IT visiting an average of 1.5
sites per day over the last seven months. The training allowed managers and
staff in each JobCentre to receive one-to-one training in the employment
service’s office automation packages, which uses Microsoft Office applications.
 www.dfee.gov.uk
