Minister launches unique training partnership in East Midlands

Skills for Business - 13/03/2008

The launch, on Monday 10 March, was organised by the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, and attended by skills partners and East Midlands’ employers. 

The Train to Gain Protocol is a partnership between 25 employer-led Sector Skills Councils, the Learning and Skills Council, the East Midlands Development Agency and East Midlands Business Ltd.  Partners are working together to ensure Train to Gain reaches employers, develops employees workforce skills, and strengthens business productivity.

The Minister, who announced that skills was a top priority in his role as a ambassador for the East Midlands, said: “Train to Gain is a demand led system and all the partners involved and employers need to ensure the East Midlands gets its fair share of the available advice, training and funding.  There are excellent training providers in the region but many learners leave the region to get better paid jobs and this is an area that needs to be addressed by employers and partners.”

Jeff Spencer, SkillsActive Regional Development Manager for the region, said of the event: “This was a great opportunity to show our sector’s commitment to training and development along with working within the regional partnerships to maximise investment in our sector from mainstream funding and business support sources”

Richard Beamish, Chief Executive of Asset Skills, spoke on behalf of the other Sector Skills Councils: “The Sector Skills Councils are delighted to see this Protocol put in place as it leads the way for us to work even closer with employers to help them help themselves in growing their businesses.”

Employers were also invited to sign up to a Skills Pledge to show their commitment to provide ongoing training and support for employees in obtaining qualifications.

The LSC who promote the Train to Gain and Skills Pledge initiatives was represented by Tony Belmega, Skills Development Director said: “Train to Gain has been extremely successful in reaching nearly 4,000 employers in the region but there are still thousands more that aren’t accessing the available training resources and funding.  The Train to Gain Protocol is a significant step forward in reaching more employers and will enable the relevant partners to respond quickly to employer needs in delivering the best possible training for staff.”