Somerset employers make skills pledge (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Somerset employers make skills pledge

1:40pm Wednesday 30th December 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

MORE than 60,000 people across Somerset are now covered by an employer’s official public promise to invest in workforce training.

The Learning and Skills Council says that 98 firms and other organisations in the county - employing 60,888 staff - have made the Skills Pledge, a unique commitment to raise all employees’ skills levels to the equivalent of five GCSEs (grade A-C).

Paul Lucken, Director of Regional Skills at the LSC South West, congratulated those employers who have made the Skills Pledge.

He said: “Investing in training and development will help us all during the economic recovery. The Skills Pledge is a key step in raising skills to improve organisational performance.”

Across the South-West, 1,000 organisations employing 415,000 staff have now made the Skills Pledge.

The 1,000th, revealed today, is the Bristol company Stage Electrics, one of Europe’s biggest providers of theatrical lighting, sound and staging equipment.

Among public sector employers in the South West, 26 of the region’s 41 local authorities – 63% of the total - have made the Skills Pledge. This compares to the national average for local government of 57%. In addition, all the NHS trusts in the South-West have made the commitment. Businesses can access public funding and other support to deliver on their Skills Pledge through Business Link Advisers.

Making the Skills Pledge can be done online by clicking on the Related Link below.

The process involves registering and agreeing a statement of commitment, providing company details and creating an action plan based on training and development needs.

• Print
• Email
• Share