Project Title: Employer Support Programme

Project Description:
In order to raise the competitiveness of the Tees Valley, it is vital that local employers develop the skills of their employees. To achieve this they need support to allow them to train and develop their staff. This project aims to provide that support through various initiatives, which will be flexible, employer led and respond to those areas identified in the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) and the Tees Valley Vision as vital to develop the region. Initiatives may include:

• Adult Apprenticeship Programmes - This will give employees over the age of 25 the opportunity to access work based training based upon the Modern Apprenticeship programme. However, the Adult Apprenticeship will be focussed around formally recognising existing achievements, developing and accrediting job related qualifications and raising existing skills levels. This will include credit accumulation of a variety of skills, which will form a job related qualification. The Learning and Skills Council will work closely with the appropriate Sector Skills Councils and the Tees Valley Sector groups as well as local learning providers to develop the Adult Apprenticeship Programme.
  
• Lifelong Learning Representatives - Employees in the workplace will be trained to NVQ2/3 in Advice, Guidance and Basic Skills. They will have the ability to recognise needs and develop appropriate individual learning plans for their colleagues. They will also advise management on training and development issues in the workplace and support the development of the organisation’s workforce development strategy.
  
• Basic Skills in the Workplace - Literacy and Numeracy competence in the Tees Valley is significantly below the rest of the country. In order to address this we will work with local employers to develop learning programmes to improve literacy and numeracy standards in the workplace.
  
• Training release support - Many employers have cited their reluctance to release staff for training. This is mainly due to the effect this has on production. This is particularly relevant for small employers. The Learning and Skills Council recently consulted with a number of local employers on this issue. Many responded to say that if they received financial support, which would allow them to ‘infill’ when employees were training, they would be more willing to release staff for training and development.
  
• Encourage and support employers to take up Foundation Degrees as part of workplace development.
  
• Investors in People (IIP)- The project would provide additional support to employers to train and develop staff and to support the achievement of the Investors in People standard. Although the Learning and Skills Council has a budget for Investors in People, this is to support the assessment process. There is no existing funding to help employers deliver training and development needs that are identified through the IIP process.
  
• Employer led Initiatives - In order to fully support local employers it is important to recognise their individual needs. This fund will allow us to support employers in those areas where no other support exists. This could include the development of new, specialist training provision, support to ‘update’ machinery/premises to increase competitiveness, safeguard existing jobs and create new jobs opportunities.

Lead Organisation (underlined) and Key Partners:
Learning and Skills Council Tees Valley, Business Link Tees Valley, Tees Valley Learning Providers