Train to Gain
How do you make sure your employees have the right skills to do the best job?
This is one of the key challenges for businesses today when skills shortages threaten productivity, reduce competitiveness and demotivate employees.
Everyone recognises the value of training overcoming skills shortages but, when it comes to your business, how do you make sure you choose the right training and support for your business at the right price?
Train to Gain is a service to help your business get the training it needs to succeed. It can improve your productivity and competiveness by making sure your employees have the right skills to do the best job.
Train to Gain: Q & A
Karen Woodward, Director of Skills for Employers at the Learning and Skills Council, answers five employers' questions on how to get help through Train to Gain.
Q: I run a small shoe shop in Norwich with 15 employees and am struggling with the credit crunch. I know that in times like these we need to offer the best possible customer service to drive sales. It's clear that training is the answer but I can't afford for staff to be away from the shop for long. Can Train to Gain help?
A: Train to Gain is fundamentally delivered in the workplace and training can take place at any time to suit your needs, whether it's on a Saturday afternoon, Sunday or in the evening. In terms of which training to choose, there is a whole range of full qualifications at Level 2 – the equivalent of five good GCSEs - that would be funded through Train to Gain. From last month (January), for the first time ever, you and your employees are also able to access shorter, bite-sized courses, so training could be done in a matter of weeks. As a small business with fewer than 50 employees, you are entitled to contributions to wage costs to cover the cost of working time spent training.
Q: I manage a business with four employees. I think they would benefit from training – but will it involve a lot of paperwork?
A: No. Most of the responsibility for Train to Gain paperwork rests with training providers. Employers need to sign some forms but at the very maximum there should be only three signatures to get your business involved in Train to Gain.
Q: I've just been promoted to a new role as sales director at a small haulage company and am keen to hone my leadership and management skills. Do you know if Train to Gain could contribute towards the cost of this?
A: There are a number of options available to you. As part of the top tier or second tier of management at your company, you are entitled to a leadership and management grant. For the most senior person in the organisation this would be a grant of up to £1,000 and for the next tier, up to £500. This needs to be matched by your company, pound for pound, but it can be spent on any type of activity needed to improve your leadership and management skills – from making a contribution to an MBA course through to having an executive coach. Funding is also available for bite-sized units of training in business-critical areas. A number of leadership and management units qualify as part of this and you could pick and mix units to meet your needs. There is also a range of full Level 2 and Level 3 (the equivalent of 2 A Level passes) qualifications for supervisors and managers. These would either be fully or partially funded and delivered in the workplace.
Q: Two of my staff already have Level 2 qualifications but I am keen for them to do Level 2 training specific to the jobs they do now. Is this possible?
A: Train to Gain's new flexibilities mean that employees are able to access part-funded training at Level 2 - even if they already have qualifications at this level. We restrict repeat qualifications to qualifications that are identified as economically valuable but your training provider will be able to guide you through this.
Q: In tough economic times my company needs a real edge to it. I've heard about Train to Gain. How can it make a difference to my business?
A: Research shows that businesses are 2.5 times more likely to survive if they continue to train and develop the skills of their employees. Train to Gain has a high employer satisfaction rate and employers tell us they see efficiency, effectiveness and productivity gains as a result of using the service. At times like these, when employers are worried about spending their money wisely, Train to Gain enables businesses to focus their training so that it has real and lasting impact.
Contact Us
To find out more about Train to Gain, including potential funding available, contact one of our Skills Advisers on 0845 2302 007.
Train to Gain brochure
