This month’s news in brief
New role at barclays
Neville Pritchard, a Training Magazine TD2001 awards finalist, joins the
senior management team in learning and resourcing at Barclays this month. He moved
to Barclays from Abbey National, having joined the company in 1995 as national
sales training manager, and progressing to become head of group training and
development.
E-learning Manchester
Speakers from BAE systems, the Crown Prosecution Service and Rolls-Royce are
joining a strong line-up at this year’s e-learning Manchester conference and
exhibition – the only event of its kind in the North. It takes place on 18-19
March at the city’s G-Mex Centre.Â
Car academy
Car and van contract hire company Lex Vehicle Leasing has launched a
specialised development programme, The Lex Academy, to build on its staff’s
communication skills and knowledge base. Employees are allowed to take at least
one day a month away from their daily roles, to further self-development,
explained general manager, training and development Karen Bush.
Tailored apprenticeships
The largest independent retailer in Wales, Gilesports , is celebrating the
success of its NVQ Apprenticeship Programme. Assistants attain National
Traineeships in Customer Service via a customised NVQ programme, developed by
training provider the Lexicon Group. "They get training specific to what
Gilesports needs, not what a generic NVQ course says they should have,"
said Gilesports HR manager Linda Lavender.Â
www.lexicon-group.co.uk
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Happy Northerners
Employers in the North of England are happy with the level of their
employees’ skills and qualifications even though the general level is lower
than in the South, according to the Skills in England 2002 report by the
Learning and Skills Council. The LSC fears such organisations have slipped into
a low-skill wage trap that may not be sustainable in the long term. www.lsc.gov.uk/researchreports/sie/2002