This week’s news in brief
Insurer’s CIPD course
Norwich Union, the UKs largest insurance group, has launched a new training
scheme offering staff professional HR qualifications from the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development. So far, 40 employees have signed up for
the scheme, which will be carried out at the firm’s head office in Norwich.
Depending on the level being studied, the programme can involve 10 hours of
study a week for up to four years. www.protocol.co.uk
Leadership scheme
The Cabinet Office has teamed up with the Improvement and Development Agency
to create a strategic leadership programme for managers in local government. A
public/private partnership with media company Epic has led to the development
of an online leadership programme called PRIME. It will use a range of learning
methods including tutorials, case studies and scenario-based teaching. www.idea.gov.uk/prime
£15m for social care
Social care staff are set to benefit from a £15m training investment by the
Department of Health. The funds will be distributed by Topss England and come
on top of the £25m National Training Strategy grant from the Department of
Health. The money will be used to support induction training and NVQ
assessment. An additional £9m has been provided in the HR development fund to
support new roles in social care. www.topss.org.uk
CD training gear
Sales executives at BMW are being sent a new CD-based e-learning programme
to teach them how to operate a new type of gearbox. All customer facing staff
at BMW’s 153 dealerships will complete the course which covers the SMG gearbox
on the firm’s M3 vehicle. The scheme is designed by BYG systems and is based on
interactive multimedia. www.bygsystems.com
CITB support centre
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has developed a new national
assessment centre to support specialist building training. It will support 500
candidates and concentrate on the more specialist sectors that currently have
few training facilities around the country. The centre covers trades such as
demolition, joinery and flooring. www.itb.org.uk
