Skills Support for the Workforce

Skills Support for the Workforce in Coventry and Warwickshire

Fully funded training courses to help your business grow

The Skills Support for the Workforce programme (SSW) helps support small & medium businesses in Coventry & Warwickshire 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.

Get in touch

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 Coventry & Warwickshire region, Matt Clark.

Matt will have a conversation with you about your business training needs and how the programme can help your business to grow.

Matt also covers the Hertfordshire, South East Midlands and Northamptonshire regions.

What’s on offer?

  • A training needs analysis for your business, identifying the skills your team need to support your business goals
  • On-the-job vocational training to meet individual and business needs including taught learning, workplace assessment, distance learning and online learning
  • Recognised accredited qualifications and training courses to support employees to upskill or even learn new skills
  • Progression pathways for your employees enabling them to take on more responsibilities and move up in your organisation, or progress onto higher level qualifications and apprenticeships

How could you benefit?

  • A more efficient business with improved profitability
  • A highly skilled and engaged workforce with up-to-date skills
  • Improved staff morale and motivation, therefore reducing staff turnover
  • Become an ‘Employer of Choice’ which will improve your business’ image and attract new talent
  • Competitive advantage in your marketplace and improved chances of winning new business

More information 

Serco delivers the SSW programme in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership. The LEP have identified the following key sectors for skills support in the area: 

  • Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering
  • Construction
  • Retail
  • IT Services and digital creative
  • Logistics
  • Education
  • Culture and tourism
  • Health and social care

Other sectors are also eligible to access funded training. Please see below for eligibility criteria.

Eligibility

The following eligibility criteria apply for anyone accessing support through Skills Support for the Workforce in Coventry and Warwickshire:

  • The learner has to be employed by the organisation (or self-employed).
  • The learner has to be eligible to work in the UK – evidence will be required
  • The learner must be aged 16+ (no upper age restriction)
  • The training has to be delivered within the LEP region and by one of the contracted SSW Training Providers

Skills Support for Redundancy 

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.

Our Training Providers

HIT Training Ltd

HIT Training is the leading specialist training and apprenticeship provider in the UK’s hospitality and catering industry
At HIT Training we know the positive impact of work-based apprenticeships for employers, employees and the wider economy. This investment in your people and their skills makes your business more efficient and profitable, and ensures your people improve their life chances.
HIT Training delivers Apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 5 in Hospitality, Management and Adult Care through over 400 skilled training staff operating from 35 offices countrywide giving us a keen local knowledge. We train through remote onsite and classroom based depending on the qualification.
Some of our accreditations include:

  • People 1st Gold Accredited Training Provider
  • Grade Good by OFSTED 2017
  • 93% Employer Satisfaction

At HIT Training we know the positive impact of work-based apprenticeships for employers, employees and the wider economy. This investment in your people and their skills makes your business more efficient and profitable, and ensures your people improve their life chances.
Helping people become the best they can be makes good business sense.

Gateway Training Solutions

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.

Training Event Safety Solutions Ltd (TESS)

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.

Siamo Training (Qommunicate Ltd)

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.

The Construction Skills People (CSP) Ltd

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 rangeAll 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

Essential Site Skills (ESS)

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.

Skills Ladder

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.

PET-Xi

Founded by Fleur Sexton, Fleur PET-Xi has been working in the training sector for 25 years. Operating nationally, the concentration of our delivery deliberately remains in midlands.   If you are seeking to upskill your staff,  the PET—Xi team gain results that are higher than the national average .

Approved by NCFE, Skillsfirst and Highfield to offer a range of courses to staff working a range of sectors including Engineering, Retail and the Business sectors. PET-Xi fully understanding that every person and every company work differently, which is why PET-Xi adapt courses to meet both learner and employers specific requirements

PET-Xi holds the Matrix standard for Information Advice and Guidance (IAG).

We deliver training within:

  • It User Skills up to Level 2
  • Customer Service up to Level 2
  • Team Leading Level 2
  • Business and Administration up to Level 3
  • Leadership and Management up to Level 3

We also deliver a range of  short courses within the sectors just mentioned.

PET-Xi are part the Coventry Chamber of and Bid Sponsors for the  Coventry 2021 City of Culture as well as attending meetings with the local LEP and Commonwealth Games 2022 .

Pilot IMS

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.

  • Ofsted - awarded 'Good' 2020 
  • Matrix Standard since 2011

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.