Skills agenda

Times are tough, but Innovative Alliance are here to support job seekers into employment
Adult Education  ·  Innovative Alliance  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Times are tough, but Innovative Alliance are here to support job seekers into employment

Supporting adults into employment through education and training is what Innovative Alliance are all about. As the recent challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic continue to impact our economy, it’s perhaps never been more important for individuals to take advantage of the services offered by Innovative Alliance.

It seems as though everywhere we turn during these difficult times, people are facing redundancies and businesses are struggling to retain staff due to financial difficulties caused by the impact of the pandemic. Thousands of individuals from some of the UK’s largest employers including Tui, Airbus and Rolls Royce, are now amongst the competition of people who are currently searching for work.

With that said, Innovative Alliance are using this as an opportunity to equip those whose need it with the skills and confidence they need to get back into employment. This could be anything from learning new skills to pursue a new career, or brushing up on pre-employability training that includes the likes of CV writing, cover letters and sharing interview tips.

Depending on eligibility, courses delivered by Innovative Alliance are fully-funded, therefore there’s no need to worry about costs of training. Whilst some courses are now returning to face-to-face delivery, there are a range of courses still available to study online. Qualifications can be achieved in a matter of weeks, at which point the tutors at Innovative Alliance will help to guide learners onto their next steps wherever possible. This could include further training or employment.

Employers and recruiters from across the North West are working with Innovative Alliance to provide support and opportunities for employment or further training.

Ian Green, CEO at Innovative Alliance spoke to us about how he felt the pandemic had affected the skills demand in the North West and what the training company are doing to help. He said,

“Employers have been asking us for a solution to finding candidates who have basic ICT skills and Business Admin qualifications, so we’ve put together an ICT course and a Business Admin qualification. Employers from the Warehousing and Construction industries have approached us for support in finding candidates with the right knowledge and qualifications to help fill the current skills gap, so we developed our industry-led skills solution.

“I truly believe that we are doing everything we can to support employers to recruit a skilled workforce, but also we’re continuing to lift people back up onto their feet and put them on the right track towards a successful future.”

Innovative Alliance specialise in providing adult education in the North West. Individuals can achieve fully-funded qualifications to support their next steps into employment in industries including; Customer Service, Warehousing and Storage, Construction, Health and Social Care, Business Administration, and Hospitality and Catering. Explore their upcoming courses on their website.

Young person flourishes thanks to Progress Schools intervention
Independent Education  ·  Progress Schools  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Young person flourishes thanks to Progress Schools intervention

A Progress Schools student, who will be known as DD, has recently secured a place at college following the intervention and support received from the independent school provider. DD, who has ADHD and ODD, requires support with focus and concentration which has led to behavioural issues in the past. However, since joining Progress Schools, her behaviour has improved significantly, and, with the support of the Progress Schools Team, she has applied and registered onto a College course starting this September.

When DD first started attending Progress Schools, she struggled immensely to sit through a lesson and completed little work. However, having settled in and adjusted to the change, she soon started developing healthy relationships with the staff team. This was particularly evidenced at the start of the 19/20 academic year when a new Head of School joined. DD initially struggled to adapt to this change, but in time, became more familiar with the new member of staff and eventually responded very well to their interventions.

Fast forward a few months, and despite the challenges caused by the national lockdown, DD has worked hard and achieved several milestones. This term she has gained her Level 2 Maths and English in Functional Skills, which comes after achieving her Level 1 qualifications earlier this year. She has also achieved EL3 in ICT.

DD’s hard work and dedication are particularly impressive when coupled with the mental health struggles she has had during the recent lockdown. A recent survey by YoungMinds reports that 80% of respondents agreed that the coronavirus pandemic had made their mental health worse. However, through the support of her family and GP, DD was able to get the support she needed and access counselling to help her with how she was feeling.

Her Head of School commented;

“DD has shown her maturity throughout this term and has grown, not only academically but in terms of her social and emotional wellbeing. She has shown her ability to work hard and the nurturing environment has assisted her to flourish.”

DD will now be supported during the transitional phase into college by the team at Progress Schools.

Building local partnerships to support even more people in to work
Adult Education  ·  Innovative Alliance  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Building local partnerships to support even more people into work

With their extensive network of partners, Innovative Alliance (IA) supports individuals to take their first steps into employment.  Their latest partnership with recruitment specialist LFUK Recruitment Services Limited is set to open even more doors of opportunity for their participants, ultimately supporting them to secure employment or further training at the end of their course with IA.

LFUK are one of Merseyside’s leading recruitment consultancies, specialising in recruitment for industries including; driving, industrial, commercial, and event services. For Innovative Alliance, this means that individuals wanting to progress into roles such as Forklift Drivers, Warehousing Operatives, Stock controllers, and Warehousing shift leaders or similar, can be supported with their job search. LFUK and Innovative Alliance will work together to find employment opportunities for the learner once they have gained their qualification.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Innovative Alliance have adjusted their delivery to incorporate online training. This has enabled individuals to access the various training courses available via IA Online. This includes the Level 2 Principles of Warehousing and Storage course which is now available via online and face-to-face delivery. LFUK will support Innovative Alliance to work with individuals who complete these qualifications to progress into employment.

CEO at Innovative Alliance, Ian Green was delighted to form the local partnership. He said,

“One of the reasons we are looking forward to working with LFUK is because they share a similar ethos to ourselves in that they are passionate about opening doors for people who are looking to get into work.

“Their reputation for providing a high-quality service has led them to provide the recruitment solution for some of the North West’s top businesses. With that said, the opportunities that they will be able to provide for our learners are vital to help rebuild the economy and support even more people back into work, whilst providing employers with a skilled workforce.”

Innovative Alliance have supported hundreds of individuals over the years in securing positive destinations at the end of their training. They hope that partnerships such as this will only help to boost this number, helping all individuals to achieve their potential and secure a brighter future.

Nurturing personal purpose at a time of change
Adult Education  ·  CareersInc  ·  Complete Training Solutions  ·  Innovative Alliance  ·  Prepare to Achieve  ·  Progress Schools  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Nurturing personal purpose at a time of change

Changing lives through education and training is something that resonates with me personally and is a purpose that naturally runs throughout The Progress Group.

The world pressed pause for a while and we took the time to reflect, regroup and restructure. As a business, it’s given us the opportunity to focus on our shared values across our three distinct divisions, as we start a new chapter with our new brand and ambitions.

Having a clear purpose as an organisation is of course important – but at a time when many people are looking for new direction, reassurance and support, the significance of helping to nurture an individual’s sense of purpose is crucial too.

With rapidly rising unemployment, a skills gap threatening to widen and ‘new normal’ ways of living and working to navigate, our sector needs to be there to help people develop the skills and confidence to succeed and thrive.

Today is the UN’s World Youth Skills Day, which makes it more poignant that under 25s are being hit particularly hard in the current jobs market.  The government’s latest employment statistics shows the 16 to 24 age group were the only age group to show an annual decrease in employment – down by 25,000.

It’s a similar story when we look at those not in education, employment or training (NEETS), with official figures for early 2020 showing an increase to 771,000 young people across the UK.

This is before we see the full impact of Covid-19 on the jobs market as a whole, but what’s already clear is the need to keep levelling the skills playing field in our society.

The government’s announcement last week to support young people, particularly those on universal credit, is a step in the right direction.

A personal journey

I remember the moment aged 12 when I started on my own journey to finding my personal purpose and the self-belief I needed to achieve it. Growing up on a council estate in Birmingham – on the 17th floor of a tower block for the first seven years – I desperately wanted to achieve my dream of working in the media, but my teachers at the time dismissed the idea.

It wasn’t until a local arts worker called Harry took the time teach me to how to take photographs that I really started to value myself. Learning this new skill taught me how to think about the world around me, how people are shaped and the breadth of choice and opportunity out there. It gave me the confidence to go to college and polytechnic, and secure an internship at the BBC. Although I moved away from a media career, it gave me skills, as well as a passion for education and training, which has set me on the path to the role I’m in today.

I was lucky to have had support developing my direction and resolve at a young age. Every young person deserves this, so we need to be there for those who don’t – to help people build resilience and strength and provide empathy and understanding to nurture purpose at an individual level.

Where next?

Everyone has their own personal story, whether that’s a child who’s falling behind at school, someone who has lost their job, struggling to get into work or coming out of the justice system. Sometimes they need that extra helping hand of support.

Our teams have been busy keeping education and training services running throughout the pandemic, critically supporting both youth and adult learning. For many the future can often feel uncertain, even more so now than ever before.

But this challenging time brings with it the opportunity to do things differently and harness the changes and opportunities to support the next generation to find their own successful path for the future.

This is something me and the fantastic Progress Group team are committed to delivering on a daily basis – using the power of education and training to change lives.

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