Sheffield City Region’s Skills Bank is celebrating after the 100th business signed up for the programme.
Skills Bank 2 has been running since April 2019 and recently approved its 100th application, made by Tecomet, a medical device and aerospace manufacturer based in Sheffield, who will put 90 learners through the programme, provided by BSA Training.
Skills Bank helps companies access training and funding for upskilling their workforce, closing skills gaps and contributing to growth.
Nancy Bradbury, Tecomet’s HR director for Europe, said: “Tecomet prides itself on providing quality services and having a skilled, leading workforce. We approached Skills Bank as we wanted to take a considered approach towards training and development and the advice from the Skills Bank team was invaluable.
“The learners, made up of our team leaders, supervisors and management, will be focused on leadership and management training in order to grow their knowledge and expertise and therefore strengthen the business even further which will help us to continue and increase our recent growth.”
Nigel Brewster, vice-chair of the SCR Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “Skills Bank 2 has been gaining momentum since we opened the programme in April as more and more businesses realise the key to unlocking growth can be found in upskilling their workforce.
“We are pleased to have passed the milestone of signing up 100 businesses, which accounts for more than 1,000 learners. We’re speaking to new businesses every day as more and more look to address skills gaps, get expert advice, and turn their attentions to their growth plans for 2020.”
Skills Bank helps businesses understand the impact training their staff can have on their growth ambitions, productivity and staff retention. Businesses that work with the programme’s Skills Advisors receive a personalised service which helps them to identify the right training and supports them to decide for themselves who they want to deliver that training.
And where existing training does not exist, Skills Bank can develop tailor-made programmes specifically designed to address the needs of that business.
Further information on the programme, for both employers and training providers, can be found at skillsbankscr.co.uk which outlines some of the training on offer as well as details on the range of training providers already involved in the scheme.