Skills Support for the Workforce

Skills Support for the Workforce in the South East Midlands

Fully funded training courses to help your business grow

The Skills Support for the Workforce programme (SSW) helps support small & medium businesses in South East Midlands 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 South East Midlands 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 Hertfordshire, Coventry & Warwickshire and Northamptonshire

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 South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP have identified the following key sectors for skills support in the area: 

  • Health and social care 
  • Construction
  • Logistics

Eligibility

The following eligibility criteria apply for anyone accessing support through Skills Support for the Workforce in South East Midlands:

  • 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.

SR Partnership Limited

We have been trading for over 12 years and specialise in construction NVQs that are relevant to you and your business.

We have a 100% pass rate and have successfully delivered several hundred NVQs from level 2 to 7 over the past 8 years.
Due to our methodical approach we have completed Level 2 in 4/6 months,  level 3 NVQs in only 6/9 months, level 6 in only 9/12 months and level 7 NVQs in 18 months.

We assess each candidate’s competence, experience and skill in order to carry out the Qualifications and Credit Framework/National Vocational Qualification (QCF/NVQ) process.  All of our NVQ assessments are conducted on site, which will save you and your delegates time and travelling expenses.  We have assessors countrywide, so whatever project you are working on we can attend your site.  We will also apply for the relevant CSCS card for you or your delegate as part of our management process.

We have recently undertaken bespoke Health and Safety training courses with excellent attendance and feedback
We work many major large, medium and small leaders in the Construction Industry and are happy to explore any new projects that are required.

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

TCHC Group Limited

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.