FEATURE: SKILLS & TRAINING


Does your workforce have the required skills?


A well-trained workforce can make a real and positive impact on your business, keeping you ahead of the competition and boosting your productivity and staff retention rates.


A


rming people with the skills required to compete in the global economy is one of the most important challenges facing the Government and industry today, particularly in face of the increasing competitive threat from growing economies such as India and China and the higher productivity levels of our closest competitors in France, Germany and the USA.


Some organisations have taken up-skilling of their workforce into their own hands. Create, which is an award-winning social enterprise develops innovative training and creates jobs for people who have been homeless, marginalised or vulnerable. They offer a future to people who want a hand up, not a handout. Every penny they make goes into training opportunities, work experience and jobs.


A case study from Create


At the create foundation we believe that when people don’t have jobs, this damages them and damages society. Create wants to change this situation by building strong commercial catering businesses which generate funding and provide work experience opportunities for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In Leeds we run a successful outside catering business providing high quality catering from lunch buffets to banquets for individual, corporate, voluntary and faith sector customers throughout the


‘Around 15 trainees a


month join the create Academy programme in Leeds’


city and a restaurant, create, which offers a menu of modern British classics using the best British ingredients, served in a lively, friendly atmosphere. All the profits from our businesses are reinvested to help people into work. Around 15 trainees a month join the create Academy programme in Leeds (there are other Academies in the other places where create has businesses: South Yorkshire, the North East, Greater Manchester and Merseyside). They work alongside skilled, paid staff in our businesses, learning basic hospitality and catering skills as well as important employability skills: timekeeping; appropriate dress and behaviour; planning and organisation; following instructions; taking responsibility, problem solving as well as basic hospitality and catering skills. This means that when they complete application forms for jobs or go to interviews they have really good examples of what they have achieved to share and discuss. Our specialist employment mentors work with each trainee to do this and to make sure they really sell their skills and achievements. They also support trainees with the practical aspects of starting work and act as a link to other agencies which can support them. The work experience and personalised support that create provides significantly increases people’s chances of getting a job. Since the create Academy started in June 2010 we have trained over 130 people and over 30% have started work.


The Create Academy 30 WEST & NORTH YORKSHIRE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE 2011


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