Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) is a programme developed to upskill employees within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Stoke and Staffordshire. It provides recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses to enhance your employees’ skills, increase the competitiveness of your business and boost the local economy.

PM Training is part of Serco’s network of expert organisations chosen to deliver the SSW programme. SSW is co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

It is a mandatory requirement for all construction site workers to carry a CSCS card. In order to be able to apply for this card construction workers need to hold a relevant NVQ qualification. Skills Support for the Workforce can offer funded training within Stoke and Staffordshire to support the achievement of NVQ’s for the construction sector’s workforce.  

When NJF Brickwork were approached by PM Training offering funded training for their workforce through SSW - it was just the support they had been looking for to allow their employees to gain a CSCS card.

Company Director Nathan Foster explains why they accessed the funded training:

“I knew it would help our business as it would allow our employees on to more sites and allow us to tender for more work.

We had support from the beginning with a member of PM Training's partnerships department coming out to help us fill in the ‘sign-up’ paperwork on the Training Needs Analysis (TNA). The key focus of the TNA was our company goals, and to give an insight into our business. It helped us to realise the skills needed for our employees to become fully qualified. My employees were motivated as soon as they were told about the funded courses which would allow them to become fully qualified and to have increased responsibilities.

As a construction company, dealing in building and brickwork. Our employees need to have an NVQ Diploma in Trowel Occupations (Construction) (QCF) Level 2 to be able to have their own CSCS card and gain access to the sites we work on.”

Nathan describes how employee training has benefited the buisness:

"They achieved the full NVQ Diploma in Trowel Occupations (Construction) (QCF) Level 2, this took place at 2 different sites throughout the course with the assessor being flexible due to the nature of the business being construction and working on different sites. The learners were visited by the assessors regularly, in general usually at least twice a month. Two participants have benefitted so far and a third is on the course making a great start.

The programme met the needs of the business perfectly. The assessor liaised with my employees and met them at a time and place that suited them due to work commitments. It was very flexible, and the qualification was what they needed to further their careers and impact on the business.

I was very impressed with PM Training and the assessor, they stayed in constant contact and always turned up when reviews were arranged. My employees were more than happy with the support they received.

The service has benefitted our business greatly. We now have 2 extra fully qualified bricklayers able to work on site now with no issues which has meant we have been able to take on more work. We have one more on the course which will benefit us further and we are hoping to use the [SSW] service again in the future. They have progressed in work with added responsibilities since completing the qualification.”

Please note the training took place pre-COVID.