Training

This week’s training new

Retail benefits

Almost 300 young retail staff benefited from Modern Apprenticeship schemes
last year. The schemes, provided by TTC and NTP training, allow staff to be
assessed in the workplace with time away from the job kept to a minimum.
Employers’ costs are also kept down because courses for 16-24 year-olds are
government funded.  www.ttctraining.co.uk

Multi-skilled officers

Manufacturer Sash UK has appointed two full-time training officers to help
provide the firm with a multi-skilled workforce. The company, which makes and
installs windows, doors and conservatories, has also introduced a detailed
training matrix to identify specific needs for individual personnel. As part of
the programme, 14 employees have qualified for a specialist NVQ after 18 months
of training, which combined key skills with hands-on experience.  www.sashuk.com

Law firms keep up

A survey by the Legal Education and Training Group (LETG) finds that law
firms have continued to carry out training during the economic slowdown. The LETG
told its 140 members that legal firms have not cut investment in training over
the past 12 months. However the annual survey, carried out by chartered
accountants MacIntyre Hudson, reveals many companies didn’t have the detailed
information needed to assess training effectiveness.  www.letg.org.uk

Learning online

Businesses and individuals are being urged to acquire new skills online
through the new Learndirect system. The site offers the opportunity to learn or
refresh skills via a computer to suit the time available. It hopes to encourage
people to become involved with lifelong learning and is designed to boost the
competitiveness of organisations.  www.learndirect.co.uk

Peacocks progress

Section heads at Peacocks Medical are among the latest to benefit from
personal productivity training by the Automotive Sector Strategic Alliance
(ASSA). The programme is designed to help companies in the manufacturing sector
improve productivity by giving employees a greater knowledge of how other industries
operate.  www.assaltd.co.uk

Credit for Carlisle

Cumbria Credits, a company which helped bring new skills to Carlisle, has
been awarded a National Training Award. The company began opening learning
centres and offering careers advice across the county in 1996 and has since
helped train 6,500 people to NVQ standard. The training programmes, principally
funded through the single regeneration budget, were praised for adding to the
skills base.  www.NationalTrainingAwards.com