Skills Support for the Workforce
The Skills Support for the Workforce programme (SSW) helps support small & medium businesses in the Black Country to upskill their employees with training courses & qualifications to help their business grow and boost the local economy.
We can work with you to develop a bespoke training programme relevant to your business needs, and as the SSW programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), a wide range of training can be accessed at no cost* to your business. *subject to eligibility
We have a network of expert training providers who can deliver 100s of fully funded and accredited training courses covering a range of subjects such as: IT & Digital Skills, Leadership and Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Health and Social care, Customer Service, Business Administration, and many more.
If you would like to talk to us about the training on offer and how it might be able to support your business and employees you can contact our Partnership Coordinator for the Black Country region, Dom Murphy.
Dom will have a conversation with you about your business training needs and how the programme can help your business to grow.
Dom also covers the Greater Birmingham & Solihull and Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire regions.
Serco delivers the SSW programme in partnership with the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP have identified the following key sectors for skills support in the area:
Other sectors are also eligible to access funded training. Please see below for eligibility criteria.
The following eligibility criteria apply for anyone accessing support through Skills Support for the Workforce:
We also offer support to business owners facing the prospect of making hard decisions about redundancy, and to individuals who have recently been made redundant through the Skills Support for Redundancy programme.
Contact the team for more information.
Gateway Training Solutions has been in operation since January 2008, initially setup to help provide training, advice and guidance to SME’s. Since then we have delivered over 10,000 qualifications nationwide, engaging with over 900 employers across 30 different cities.
We believe in working with employers and learners to ensure that both parties gain from the learning experience. Gateway has achieved its growth by putting learner at the heart of the business, by focusing on developing our learners we are able to help them achieve their qualifications.
We deliver Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Pre-employment training, Standalone QCF’s, Functional Skills as well as ESF provision.
We have worked with a number of mainstream colleges including Walsall College, Stoke on Trent College, Calderdale as well as a number of consortiums and have spent over £10m worth of Train to Gain, ASB, ALR and ESF funding during this period.
Our specialist sectors include Transport & Logistics, Warehousing & Storage, Hospitality & Catering, Retail, Tourism, Education & Business and Financial Services.
We base our delivery around the needs of employers and Learners which includes classroom and work based delivery. We schedule delivery of training around the working schedules of learners providing minimum disruption to work.
The Tess Group are a learning and development provider established in 2009; delivering qualifications including Apprenticeships, Diplomas, Traineeships, Adult Learner Loans and ESF – SSW funded training. Since the moment we started we have been working on changing the way everyone finds their future & delivering inspirational learning that has a measurable impact on people’s lives.
We are rated Ofsted Grade 2 February 2017, Matrix Accredited and an Investors In People Gold Employer. We have won several awards in recent years including Business Of The Year 2015, Enterprising Organisation 2016, Apprenticeship Provider 2016 (Apprenticeship Awards). We were a finalist at the Investors In People Gold Employer awards.
Our vocational delivery range include Customer Service, Team Leading, Management, Sales, Business Administration & Recruitment. We provide learning that is needed to support learners or businesses to their steps.
We are able to bespoke programmes specific to the needs of business, delivering a blend of workshop training sessions, one on one coaching sessions or remote training.
Performance Through People offer a variety of apprenticeships for people of all ages across the Midlands. We deliver apprenticeships at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 and cover a range of sectors including in Accounting, Business Administration, Customer Service, Dental Nursing, Early Years Care, Health and Social Care, IT, Management and Team Leading, Retail, Hospitality, Warehouse and Logistics, Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales and Travel Services.
All apprentices are assigned one of our highly qualified training advisers who will support them through visits to the workplace and arrange for them to complete classroom sessions or workshops if these are required as part of the apprenticeship. They will also support with maths and English functional skills as necessary. Where classroom session and workshops are required these will take place at one of our training centres in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Cannock and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Our Walsall centre includes a purpose built engineering training centre.
We offer clear progression routes through apprenticeships and can continue to support learners as they progress to higher level qualifications and more senior job roles.
We are rated Good by Ofsted and have Investors in People and Matrix accreditations.
Qommunicate is an established workforce development company specialising in providing a fully tailored learner journey for all individuals, starting at pre-employment training, developing into fully skilled and sustainable workforce.
Construction skills People is the largest provider to the UK’s construction sector, established in 2008, we deliver a wide range of vocational qualifications and commercial training courses specifically for the construction sector. Our in-depth industry knowledge allows us to advise our clients through the complex minefield of Health & Safety legislation and regulation. We are the UK's leading provider of construction-related work-based qualifications and offer a broad range of NVQs that help our clients ensure they are CSCS and CPCS compliant.
We enjoy working with over 75% of the UK’s top 100 construction companies as listed by the industry’s Construction News magazine. We look to foster robust relationships with our clients, built on our concept of putting our clients’ needs first. As you would expect from an industry-leading training provider, we practice what we preach, and our staff's Continual Professional Development is an ongoing process that ensures our staff have the knowledge and expertise to offer industry the correct advice.
Vocational delivery range – All qualifications in construction including Civil Engineer, Construction Plant, House Building, Off-Site Manufacturing, Infrastructure, Utilities, Environmental and major projects. All of CSP’s qualifications are delivered on site to reduces disruption and employee downtime.
Accreditations - Matrix accredited, Disability Confident, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 18001
Here at WISE Ability our vision is to enrich the communities we serve and empower people through employment.
We provide a wide range of services covering skills and training, employment, offender rehabilitation and mental health across the UK and if you would like to find out more call our dedicated team on:
Call :0300 303 3777 | Email: info@wiseability.co.uk
Since our launch in 2009 at the heart of everything we do here at the charity are our customers and we’re proud to have been able to support thousands of people over the last decade. We always put our customers first to ensure that every individual enjoys a positive and beneficial #WeAreWise experience.
We believe it’s essential that during your time with us you feel welcome, respected, safe and supported. We will listen and provide you with the quality information, advice and guidance to enable you to make the right choices.
We will also ensure that we make our services easy for you to use, while also providing you with a positive and inspiring place to learn and develop.
We want you to be successful in whatever you choice to do and we will empower you to achieve your individual goals and celebrate your success together.
WISE Ability has been working very closely with companies such as Serco over the years to deliver programmes and services. As well as working with some key organisations within the sector, we have a variety of important partnerships with government agencies, local enterprise partnerships, local authorities, community services, and support groups etc. without which we would not be able to achieve our mission.
Established as a Training Provider in 1996, protocol is currently an approved Work Based Training Provider for the West Midlands. (PCS is part of the Protocol Group of Companies and is a trading name of Transworld Publications Services Ltd). Work undertaken is mainly in the Midlands area, through government funding although we are prepared to travel anywhere in the UK should it be necessary for the delivery of Skills Support for the Workforce, Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships. We also undertake Consultancy work in management and skills training. We have developed our own virtual learning environment that allows remote access.
We have an established track record of delivering SSW across local LEP areas offering SMEs various training options. Our breadth of experience and expertise enables us to provide focused consultancy and really add value to your business in a variety of contexts. With a blended learning option, tailored to employer requirements, we can deliver both clasroom-led and virtual learning.
Protocol holds the followng accreditation:
Essential Site Skills Ltd (ESS) are an Award Winning, UK leading Training Provider founded in 2013. We specialise in nationwide training and support within the Construction sector but can also deliver a wide range of accredited and non-accredited training across various employment sectors including Health and Social Care, Business Services and Retail, ranging from Level 1 to Level 7 qualifications, as well as delivering bespoke training courses - we adapt the service to suit the needs of the employer.
Our relationships with employers and learners have been key to our success, working with them to identify and fill skills gaps with a focus on individual progression routes and supporting company growth aspirations. We also have an employability division that focuses on supporting at risk, or recently redundant individuals, offering a wide range of bespoke training options and signposting them to our expansive employer network, identifying employment opportunities.
As an organisation, we strive to make a positive difference to the safety, welfare and overall competency of individuals in a high-risk industry, as we believe everyone has the right to go to work and return home safely.
Our specialism is in IT training and creating E-Learning resources. We have previously worked on the SSW2 programme in partnership with Serco.
We typically deliver on-site at the employers, but external training can be arranged. We bring a suite of laptops so any candidates without one can still participate.
Skills Ladder ltd deliver training from level 1 to level 3 in all things IT. This covers a wide variety of topics such as Spreadsheets, Word Processing, PowerPoint, Outlook, Windows 10, Internet Security, Social Media.
Pathway Group is a leading Regional Skills Provider with a vision of Changing Lives Through Skills and Work.
As an ESFA prime provider, we are proud of having been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, in 2016. We also hold quality standards, such as ISO9001, and Matrix; and have a track-record of investing in our workforce- as accredited by the Investors in People Silver Standard. For the past 15 years, we have been at the forefront of supporting individuals through their journey into and during employment, delivering qualifications tailored to job outcomes, linked to employers.
We exist to encourage and advance employment opportunities by matching the needs of business, individuals and communities. We do this by having a relentless focus to add value, delivering positive outcomes and ensuring that we put our relationship first, leading us to be your partner of choice. We provide a broad range of skills development programmes from a training room to the workplace, helping people to qualify and develop skills for employment and their career. We have a passion in providing our learners with career opportunities through the delivery of traineeships and adult education programmes through to employability and other youth initiatives.
Based just outside Birmingham City Centre, our highly skilled team of employees are on hand to guide partners, employers, learners and parents through the various options there are to gaining qualifications, experience in the workplace, and employment.
Specialists in workforce development, we are at the forefront of supporting levy paying employers though the change in landscape of apprenticeship delivery and we understand the importance of developing and maintaining relationships that last.
BDM is a fast growing, quality driven organisation dedicated to providing our customers with best value training and business growth services.
We pride ourselves in working closely with large and small businesses to develop flexible training courses and apprenticeship programmes that truly reflect on actual business needs and demonstrate actual measurable impact.
Business Development Midlands have been members of the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), the UKs foremost Management and Leadership awarding body, for the past 12 years. This partnership, and our direct claims status, allows us to develop credible, flexible and business specific training programmes.
Some examples of the courses we offer include:
All courses we offer can be customised to suit the companies needs and when necessary can be delivered at one of our venues or in house (dependent on numbers).
CPC Training Consultants Ltd (CPC), successfully deliver; Work Based, Classroom Based and On-line ESF & AEB funded learning across Worcestershire, The Black Country, East Staffordshire, Birmingham and Solihull since 2010.
CPC is registered on the ESFA’s RoTO and has Matrix accreditation.
Our focus is supporting both employed and unemployed adults in the Midland’s region in gaining the skills and knowledge to advance their careers or to gain sustainable employment.
The programmes successfully support individuals within the Engineering, Manufacturing, Transport and Warehousing sectors. Between 450 and 500 individuals benefit from the programmes annually.
The programmes offered range from nationally recognised qualifications to bespoke courses specific to employers and individuals including;
CPC has robust relationships with the JCP, DWP, LEP, National Careers Service, Third Sector and hundreds of local employers across the region.
We are proud of our achievement, quality of delivery, success rates, and destination data.
TCHC Group Limited was set up in August 2004. Since then TCHC has grown rapidly and gained a wealth of experience working with organisations including the Education and Skills Funding Agency, The National Lottery Community Fund, Department for Work and Pensions, Local Authorities including the Greater London Authority, and Local Enterprise Partnerships. TCHC offers a wide range of training and workforce development solutions for individuals and employers across all industry sectors.
Our current workforce development portfolio includes a wide range of training options from short courses (2-Days) to longer term programmes, including Apprenticeships, covering sectors including Digital Skills (IT, Excel, Social Media), Customer Service, Business Administration, Functional Skills, Team Leading and Management, Accountancy, Equality & Diversity, Security Training and much more. Training is tailored to the needs of the organisation and its workforce and can be delivered face-to-face in the classroom or remotely though Teams or Zoom.
Pilot IMS is a well-established and highly respected national training provider with many years of experience delivering Skills, Welfare, Justice and Youth programmes for public and private partners. We passionately believe in helping business to bring workplace skills to life and in developing individuals from all backgrounds to make the most of the opportunities available to them.
Our experienced, highly qualified, professional and engaging team has a strong reputation, that is evidenced through exceptional feedback from individuals, employers and commissioners. Pilots fantastic performance is achieved through staff dedication, commitment and loyalty.
We build long lasting and meaningful business relationships through the provision of high impact, flexible training & recruitment programmes, specialising in a number of priority sectors including, Logistic, Warehousing, Manufacturing, Engineering and Business Management.
Acacia Training was established in 2000 to provide training for employers & their employees in health & social care, early years & play work.
The company operates from its head office in Trentham, Staffordshire and has delivery sites in Essex, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle, Crewe, Chesterfield and London.
Acacia Training is a Grade 2 Ofsted provider, disability confident leader and kickstart gateway provider and were winners of the best health and social care training provider 2020.
EM Skills is an industry leading educational management company. Established in 2012, EM Skills has the experience and expertise to support businesses in a diverse range of sectors. We specialise in the delivery of apprenticeships, courses and qualifications for adults in:
We specialise in offering a flexible approach to delivery and assessment which can be tailored to reflect the needs of the employer and employee. We can offer both face-to-face or distance learning training depending on organisation preference, at days and times to suit.
We are a family business, based in Hertfordshire, although we have a nationwide reach. Our family values permeate throughout the business, resulting in a team that puts the delivery of excellent training at the heart of everything we do.
