Peter Green’s Post

Thames Freeport Secures Over £1million in Awards for Skills Fund Thames Freeport has announced the award of substantial funding totalling £1.2 million to support its Skills Fund, a critical component of the “Skills for the Future” campaign. This funding will significantly enhance workforce development and upskilling initiatives in the region, driving economic growth and preparing the local workforce to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding Freeport. The Thames Freeport Community Skills Fund, established as part of Thames Freeport’s ongoing commitment to economic regeneration, aims to create a highly skilled workforce capable of seizing new opportunities within the Freeport zone. This recent funding will support a diverse range of training programs, apprenticeships, and upskilling initiatives across key sectors, including logistics, manufacturing, and green technologies. Martin Whiteley, CEO at Thames Freeport outlined that these funds were part of a wider strategic investment for the freeport and the huge potential. He stated that: “These skills projects support the wider ambitions to build opportunities for sustainable, employment led, and inclusive 21st century city. The Freeport has a mission to create inward investment and new high-quality jobs that directly benefit the local community” https://lnkd.in/earefCMt #socsea24 #freeports #ports #skills #maritime Port of Tilbury London #hydrogen

🌟 Exciting News for Thames Freeport: Over £1 Million Secured for Workforce Development! 🌟 Thames Freeport is proud to announce the award of substantial funding totalling £1.2 million to support its Skills Fund, a critical component of the “Skills for the Future” campaign! 🚀 This significant investment will fuel workforce development and upskilling initiatives across the region, ensuring our community is well-prepared to seize the opportunities arising from our rapidly growing Freeport. The Thames Freeport Community Skills Fund is dedicated to creating a highly skilled, future-ready workforce. This recent funding will support diverse training programs, apprenticeships, and upskilling initiatives in key sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, and green technologies. Promoting Inclusive Growth: We're committed to ensuring the benefits of the Freeport are shared widely, with special initiatives to improve access to training for underrepresented groups. This funding is already making a positive impact, with investments in the South Essex Advanced Technical Skills (SEATS) and new degree apprenticeship programs in collaboration with local companies. Matt Hamnett, Thames Freeport Non-Executive Director said; “To realise our high ambition for the freeport we must invest in skills and training – both working with business to ensure that we create the talent pipeline they need to succeed, and with communities to ensure that through the Freeport we change lives. This first round of investment demonstrates the Freeport’s potential, and determination to deliver real social and economic impact”. For more information read our announcing with all successful companies https://lnkd.in/earefCMt At Thames Freeport, we're not just building a Freeport—we're building futures. This funding is a testament to our commitment to creating high-quality jobs, driving economic growth, and transforming lives in the region. #ThamesFreeport #SkillsForTheFuture #WorkforceDevelopment #EconomicGrowth #Innovation #SustainableDevelopment #InclusiveGrowth New City College London South East Colleges USP College Plymouth Business School South Essex Advanced Technical Skills (SEATS) Coventry University ONE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST Thurrock CVS CEME Business Campus Young Enterprise UK Primary Engineer London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Thurrock Council London Borough of Havering Stuart Rimmer MBE Matt Hamnett Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

There is a hidden value to be unlocked for skills initiatives. Beyond typical financial metrics. Capturing SROI maximises the impact of skills investments, revealing broader social and economic return on investments. From addressing regional inequalities to empowering underrepresented groups. Great article from Jo Bishenden, optimising policy through a data- driven SROI framework. Really proud to have led this partnership with the brilliant team from GIST Impact to measure our SROI impact at QA Ltd. https://lnkd.in/eRw_Gk-d

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Announcement for New Forest Employers⭐⭐ ⭐ New Forest District Council Pledges £50k to Successful Levy transfer initiative aimed at funding apprenticeships for local businesses. Solent Business & Skills Solutions established “Transfer to Transform” in July 2020 with the goal of utilising larger organisations’ apprenticeship levy funds. By pledging to this initiative, employers have the opportunity to support each other by using unspent levy funding before it is returned to central Government. Solent Business & Skills solutions, with New Forest District Council’s pledge, is able to directly support local organisations with developing their team, training new staff and closing skill gaps across the New Forest. To date, Transfer to Transform has helped support local SMEs with over 623 apprenticeship starts, through pledges totalling over £7 million, from 30 organisations. The Apprenticeship Levy was initiated by the UK government in April 2017, for all employers paying a wage bill of more than £3 million per year. Employers that meet this criterion are required to pay 0.5% of their payroll each month as a levy tax. This levy can then be reinvested back into their workforce in the form of Apprenticeship training. However, any unspent levy will be returned to Government after a period of two years. With Transfer to Transform, SBSS are able to keep designated skills funds within our region, benefiting the local community. If you would like to learn more about how your business can benefit from this exciting announcement, head to the New Forest Apprenticeship & Skills Hub website: https://lnkd.in/eDizjh36 As well as pledging the £50k, New Forest District Council have partnered with Solent Business & Skills Solutions to launch the New Forest Apprenticeship and Skills Hub. This offers free and impartial advice to New Forest based organisations of any size regarding apprenticeship and skills training, helping to remove the barriers of entry for businesses eager to invest in the development of their workforce. This New Forest District initiative is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. If you want to access Levy funding for apprenticeship training comment below or DM me. 🎯 Jodi Fair Sara Warry-Powell Jamie Webber Matthew Lawson Alice Smee Nicola C. Heidi Roper Sam Sutton Alex Wilkins Claire Pacariz Siân Morris Pamela Broad #skills #apprenticeships #levytransfer #transfertotransform

£140M Investment: A game-changer for Britain’s construction skills crisis. As part of the initiative “to get Britain building again”, the Labour government has just announced a £140 million investment to create 5,000 additional construction apprenticeships per year in England. The announcement lands at a critical moment for the built environment, as it continues to battle with a severe skills shortage. With plans to build 1.5 million homes and boost infrastructure over the next five years, an estimated 50,300 more workers are needed annually to meet the demand. Our chief executive Lee Parkinson MCIPS MIoD FRSA shared his thoughts on the announcement with Building Design & Construction - BDC today He said: “We welcome the Labour government’s ambitions and drive to advance the country’s housebuilding mission. At EN:Able Futures, we have been championing apprenticeships for more than ten years, and this new investment is a step forward in providing more young people with a foot on the career ladder. We know first-hand just how effective apprenticeships are for both the apprentice and employer and a skilled workforce will bring us back on track to meeting these wider ambitious targets. “However, central government must seek guidance from organisations with expertise in this field as they know how best to support the talent of tomorrow and ensure the government’s investment provides the missing link." https://lnkd.in/e2-mk7Ha #skillscrisis #loveconstruction #apprenticeships #ukconstruction EN:Procure EN:Able Build Limited EN:Able Communities

🌟 Exciting News for Employers 🌟 I'm thrilled to share that Labour has announced plans to open up the Apprenticeship Levy for other qualifications! This move will provide employers with more flexibility and options to support the training and development of their workforce. As businesses, we understand the importance of nurturing and upskilling our talent. With this proposed change, we will have the opportunity to invest in a broader range of qualifications, allowing us to tailor our training programs to better meet the needs of our employees and our industry. Additionally, for those of us who have unspent funds in our Levy accounts, this presents a fantastic opportunity to put those funds to good use. Labour's proposed support for the utilisation of unspent Levy funds will be invaluable in ensuring that we can maximise the benefits of this initiative. I'm looking forward to seeing these plans come to fruition and the positive impact they will have on our businesses, our employees, and the wider workforce. Let's continue to prioritise lifelong learning and development in the workplace! Coupled with unlocking the full potential of our learners. More news to follow.... #ApprenticeshipLevy #TrainingAndDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment #LabourParty #SkillsTraining #Funding #ApprenticeshipLevy #UnlockingPotential

Levy Employers please read!!!! Recent reforms to the UK's Apprenticeship Levy have introduced significant changes that could greatly benefit employers. The government has recognised the need for increased flexibility in how levy funds are used, responding to calls from various industry bodies for a more adaptable system. One of the key changes is the potential inclusion of short courses or micro-credentials within the scope of the levy. This would allow employers to use levy funds for shorter, more targeted training programs, which are increasingly seen as valuable for upskilling employees quickly and effectively . These short courses can be especially beneficial for filling immediate skill gaps and adapting to fast-changing industry needs. Additionally, the government has proposed doubling the amount of unspent levy funds that large firms can transfer to other businesses, from 25% to 50%. This aims to optimise the utilisation of levy funds and create more apprenticeship opportunities across various sectors. These changes are designed to address criticisms that the current system is too rigid and does not adequately support the diverse training needs of today's workforce. By allowing the levy to cover a broader range of training types, including short courses, the reforms aim to enhance the overall effectiveness of the levy and encourage greater investment in employee development. These updates are a positive step toward making the Apprenticeship Levy more flexible and responsive to the needs of both employers and employees, ultimately supporting economic growth and skill development in the UK.

Labour's vision for a "Golden Age of Lifelong Learning" promises exciting opportunities for professionals and businesses alike. Stephen Morgan Labour candidate for Portsmouth South, recently outlined plans to transform the UK's approach to skills development and education. Key highlights of this initiative include: Transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a Growth and Skills Levy, offering businesses more flexibility in investing in training courses. Creating opportunities for adults to upskill with short, modular courses in new industries and technologies. Addressing the decline in adult participation in education, training, and skills programs, which has fallen by over 350,000 since 2017. What are your thoughts? Do you have training courses that would benefit from easy recongition? How do you see lifelong learning shaping the future of work? https://lnkd.in/eQX3-PJx This is not a promo post, I'm genuinely interested, answers, links, suggestions, even controversial views, please comment.

The Government has announced an increase in funding for young apprentices in SMEs this morning. This is an important additional investment rather than just diverting money across the system which doesn't address the fundamental issue: the UK needs to invest more in work-relevant skills. This is what I had to say: “Apprenticeships are a critical investment in future growth and productivity. By enabling more support for small businesses and young people the Government is extending their contribution to future skills even wider. High-quality, work-based learning is critical right across the economy. Levy funding is an important component of that investment and, indeed, we should be looking at how we extend investment even further. Leaders and managers need all the possible tools at their disposal to develop the workforce of the future. These announcements contribute to that. The best economies have highly skilled managers and a highly skilled workforce across all ages and all sectors.” #skills #growth #productivity #leadership #economy #economics #apprenticeships Chartered Management Institute Here's the full story: https://lnkd.in/e7Qpq2b8

In an ever evolving world it is clear that Social Mobility and social value is becoming increasingly important as part of an organisation's ESG agenda. I would welcome the opportunity to understand what this means to employers and how they are setting themselves up for success in this space. If anyone would like to chat about this and explore more please do reach out.