Skills agenda

How training providers will play a key role in the success of the UKs economic recovery plans
Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group  ·  Thought Leadership
How training providers will play a key role in the success of the UKs economic recovery plans

Author: Jayne Worthington, The Progress Group CEO

As we move forward into Spring with hopes of COVID-19 restrictions easing, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak has outlined the Government’s plans to rebuild the economy. He announced the extension of several support schemes including the Furlough scheme. The budget signals the Government’s commitment to placing the UK at center stage for development in the coming years.

Through the investment-led recovery plans, we will see the development of clean energy infrastructure, the creation of eight Freeports across England, and additional funding to 45 towns across England. But with a surge in demand for skilled workers on the horizon, how can we support the Government’s plan, ensuring they are met with a readied and skilled workforce.

As part of the ‘levelling-up’ agenda, which was first announced in December 2020, The UK Infrastructure Bank which is due to come into operation in Spring, aims to support at least £40bn of both private and public sector infrastructure projects. The bank will be a key driving force in delivering on the ‘Green Building Revolution’, with its primary focus on the economic infrastructure sectors, such as clean energy. The large investment will support in the development of wind farms, creating thousands of jobs and attracting a skilled and robust renewables workforce to UK shores. Although the investment gives a beacon of hope for many in the sector, it is essential that moving forwards the Government sets out further measures to mobilise significant levels of private capital into projects that both create jobs and support the Green Revolution ambitions.

The announcement also outlined the creation of eight Freeport sites across England, with one located here in the Liverpool City Region. With future opportunities in offshore wind, tidal power, and hydrogen, the Freeport will bring the City Region to the forefront of the Government’s Net Zero ambitions. The success of such projects relies on renewables training providers, such as Complete Training Solutions (CTS), to ready the future workforce. As one of the largest training providers in the UK to offer the GWO Basic Safety Training Package, CTS will prove an integral part of the Government’s efforts.

Annually, CTS deliver 14,500 GWO training courses, equipping delegates with the skills and knowledge to kick start their careers in the renewables sector. Their capacity to deliver large volumes of training, along with the high-quality courses on offer, in my opinion will make them a clear driving force in training and readying the future renewables workforce.

The Chancellor also announced additional funding into 45 towns across England, supporting their long-term economic and social regeneration, as well as their immediate recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. On the list of towns to receive support was Southport, where Innovative Alliance (IA) currently operate, delivering a number of fully funded courses that help adults get back to work. IA recently worked in partnership with DWP in Southport to deliver the Job Accelerated Club Project, where 60% of learners secured positive outcomes. The additional funding will go a long way in helping IA continue to support people in Southport, who have found themselves in unemployment.

As CEO of a group of training and education providers, covering the construction, renewables, education, and adult learning sectors. I am pleased with the support outlined by the Government and believe our group of specialist training providers will play a vital role in the economic recovery plans. The plans signal the first steps for rebuilding, but we must ensure we do not take our foot of the gas now. Ensuring the job market is met with a skilled and readied workforce must remain a top priority as we move into a post-COVID-19 era.

The Progress Group acquires multiple award-winning learntech provider, Grey Matter Learning
Business Growth  ·  eLearning  ·  Grey Matter Learning  ·  The Progress Group
The Progress Group acquires multiple award-winning learntech provider, Grey Matter Learning

National education and training specialists, The Progress Group, have recently acquired the multiple award-winning learntech provider, Grey Matter Learning. The provider, who is dedicated to the health and social care industry, is a leading eLearning provider, having recently been named “2021’s Most Outstanding eLearning Provider of the Year for Social Care Services in the United Kingdom” by CEO Monthly Magazine and “Leading Provider of Social Care eLearning 2020” by the Southern Enterprise Awards.

Grey Matter Learning is the latest addition to The Progress Group, which already includes five education and training providers. Collectively, the group works with individuals aged 8 – 60 across their national alternative education provision, careers education, advice and guidance, and adult skills training. Their skills training spans several sectors including renewable energy, construction, health, and social care, and warehousing and storage.

The addition of Grey Matter Learning will not only further enhance the existing delivery of the Group, but also help to further drive the company’s digital learning capabilities.

Talking of the acquisition, Group CEO Jayne Worthington said;

“We are delighted to welcome Grey Matter Learning and its team to The Progress Group. Grey Matter Learning is very well established as a provider of eLearning across the UK, and I am really looking forward to not only growing this business nationally, but also deploying some of its best practice and eLearning expertise across our Group. This will significantly enhance our existing eLearning provision, ultimately helping us to help more people.

“Similar to us, Grey Matter has a mission to improve lives through learning, and place people at the heart of their provision. This ethos and approach were the perfect fit for our Group, which has a clear purpose, to change lives through the power of education. When we first met the team at Grey Matter Learning, I instantly knew that they would be a brilliant fit for our Group, and that they would really bring another element of expertise to our existing provision.”

Sarah Knapp, Grey Matter Learning Managing Director and founder said;

“Everyone at Grey Matter Learning is hugely excited by the opportunities that working with The Progress Group will bring for the team, our clients and partners. Whilst we remain firmly committed to the social care sector, we have already been working on successful projects in other sectors. From an L&D background, it has always been my passion to create interesting and fun eLearning that holds the attention of the learner whilst inspiring desired results. It can be pretty challenging when dealing with such difficult subjects, particularly during such tough times.

Since launching our upgraded system, Click, a year ago, we have had incredible feedback and won 2 major awards. People simply love our content. I often wonder how many eLearning providers can confidently say that their learners are excited by the courses and are having fun competing with colleagues because they are enjoying their learning experiences. Just this week one of our local authority L&D Managers said: “The Click content was so rich and engaging that I changed my work plans in order to complete the course”. It is so heart-warming to know we are making a difference and I believe this new partnership can only bring greater innovation and more lives improved through learning.”

Grey Matter Learning, which was formed in 2006 and provides class-leading social care eLearning, the Care Certificate and Skills for Care mandatory training courses. They work with multiple local authorities, many of whom have been customers for 14 years as well as social care providers. This includes AgeUK, Dimensions, Autism Together, Bluebird Care, Mencap, Camphill Village Trust, Milestones Trust, and the Guinness Partnership. Their eLearning platform, Click, has been shown to significantly boost a company’s productivity, providing £30 worth of increased productivity for every £1 invested in online training. It’s this impressive impact which has seen the company flourish over the last 14 years.

To find out more about The Progress Group, visit their website.

Bridging the skills gap amid a global pandemic
Adult Education  ·  Business Growth  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Bridging the skills gap amid a global pandemic

With unemployment rates in the UK soaring, and the global pandemic having exposed some of the fundamental inequalities in our society, it’s no surprise that the Government has placed so much emphasis on the skills agenda in order to help rebuild our country and economy. But the question for so many is will this come quickly enough to support businesses with the skills divide that they are facing in their organisation right now?

A recent article by McKinsey states that 87% of companies said that they have skill gaps, or expect to within a few years. In the same article, 53% of executives stated that they believed that re-skilling existing employees is the best way to close these gaps [1]. But as we see light at the end of this dark tunnel with the hope of vaccinations for all by Autumn, what can businesses do to survive in the short-term, whilst planning to thrive in the long?

Like many, I welcomed the Government’s announcement last Autumn which placed skills at the heart of the COVID-19 recovery plan [2]. £2.5 billion has been pledged through the National Skills Fund to help get people working again after COVID, as well as helping those already employed to up-skill or re-train. With this also came a commitment to invest £8 million for digital skills boot camps and a plan to expand these into areas such as construction and engineering from next year. All of this sounds very positive indeed, but does it go far enough?

As an employer who, across our organisation, employs around 120 people, we have had many conversations around the skills requirements of our business both today and in the future. There’s no denying that for an employer, this is a challenge. As reported by McKinsey, retraining is our first choice, but this cannot always happen at the pace that is required by a business. Like so many other businesses out there, our Group evolved our digital capabilities within a matter of weeks during the first lockdown last year; but we know that there is much more to be done in this area.

And in all this, we cannot forget that our national skills gaps go way beyond digital technologies. We have heard about the shortages in the public sector, struggles with attracting young talent into health and social care, and the boom in green energy initiatives to help meet the Governments Net Zero target. So, at a time of great challenge for many, I also see great opportunity, if we all plan now for the next normal.  

So, what is the solution that will enable us to achieve our plans? Long-term, perhaps it lies with the likes of T-Levels, which were launched last year as a next step after GCSEs. These offer a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience, with these qualifications having been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses to meet the demand of industry. But in the short-term, we need a solution that provides flexibility, agility, and sustainability for individuals and business. That’s where I believe that through further investment and flex in the Adult Education Budget, and greater development of initiatives such as Kickstart and apprenticeships, we can meet the short terms needs of industry and individuals. Whether it is re-skilling or up-skilling that’s needed by businesses, by creating flexible and accessible pathways into sustainable employment and training, will enable individuals and industry to meet the skills demands of today, whilst planning for the future.

The Progress Group welcomes new Financial Controller
Adult Education  ·  Business Growth  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
The Progress Group appoints Ian Green as MD of their Workforce Development Division

National education and training specialists, The Progress Group, have recently appointed Ian Green as Managing Director of their Workforce Development Division. A post that will see Ian lead on the strategic development of the Group’s adult skills agenda.

Ian, who has been CEO of adult education training provider Innovative Alliance since November 2018, was previously head of operations at a national training provider, delivering training and apprenticeships to schools throughout the UK. Prior to that Ian held senior leadership positions at large colleges within the North West.

His new role will see him work in the Senior Leadership Team of The Progress Group to drive the growth plans of the Group’s adult skills arm, which includes Innovative Alliance and Complete Training Solutions, a specialist health and safety training company for the renewable and construction industries.

Talking of his appointment, Ian said;

“The adult skills agenda will be key to helping our country to recover after the pandemic. We have already seen the Government pledge £2.5 billion through the Lifetime Skills Guarantee to help get people working again after COVID, and with the introduction of the Restart and Kickstart programmes, there will be a huge emphasis placed on up-skilling and re-skilling individuals to help get them back into employment. As an agile and flexible skills provider, we will be responding to the needs of the economy to drive our curriculum and support people back into sustainable employment.

The Progress Group delivers careers advice and guidance, education and training to individuals between the ages of 8 and 60 throughout England. In 2018-19, as a collective Group, they worked with over 15,000 individuals

Talking of Ian’s appointment, Group CEO Jayne Worthington said;

“As a Group we pride ourselves on our agile and flexible approach to education and training, and this is championed through our divisional make-up. Each division has its own core market in which they specialise in, allowing us to be at the forefront of industry and society trends, and adapt to meet the needs of these.

“Ian’s appointment is the latest strategic appointment that we have made, which will see our Group strengthen our position within the market and ultimately help us to achieve our mission statement which is to change lives through the power and education and training.

“We all know that times are tough for many, but even during tough times, it’s important to plan for the next stage and we know that education and skills will be key to this for our country. I am delighted to have Ian in this new role, as it will enable us to really lead on driving forward the skills agenda both in the North West and nationally.”

The Progress Group welcomes new Financial Controller
Adult Education  ·  Business Growth  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
The Progress Group welcomes new Financial Controller

Specialist education and training provider, The Progress Group, have recently welcomed Sam Toothill to their Senior Leadership Team. Sam takes up the role of Financial Controller within the Group, bringing with him a wealth of experience and from his previous role at Grant Thornton.

Sam, who had been with Grant Thornton since his placement year in 2012, studied Accounting & Finance at Leeds University before passing his Chartered Accountant exams in 2016. Since then he has worked with a range of clients across the hospitality, technology & education industries, including the likes of City of Liverpool College and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. In 2017, he achieved his ACA qualification, one of the most advanced learning and professional development programmes available for financial professionals.

More recently, Sam has had a split role at Grant Thornton, specialising in data analytics. This role saw him drive forward management reporting and business efficiencies using software such as PowerBI.

Sam joins The Progress Group at a time of growth after the Group secured investment from Bankers Life Insurance Company (BLIC) earlier in 2020. This investment has been a catalyst for growth, which has seen the Group acquire specialist Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance provider CareersInc. But the investment doesn’t stop there. Earlier this year, the Group also invested in a new Business Development Team, appointing Tom Whitlock to the role of Director of Business Development. Tom moved from Progress Schools to work for the Group after successfully securing numerous tenders with local authorities across the country. These successes have helped Progress Schools to expand to now have 11 alternative schools across England within the space of five years. Tom is now applying his vast knowledge of the education and training sector to the wider Group growth strategy.

Talking of his appointment Sam said;

“I instantly felt that The Progress Group was the right fit for me. Not only does this sector genuinely make a positive change to the lives of the individuals, but working for a business who is so committed to achieving their mission statement to change lives through the power and education and training was really inspirational.

“To join a business where I will have a real opportunity to shape its future success is a huge motivation for me, and I can’t wait to get stuck in!”

Jayne Worthington, Group CEO said;

“We are delighted to welcome Sam to the team. His extensive prior financial experience and specialism in data analytics makes him a great addition to the team. As we continue to drive forward our innovation and growth strategy, Sam’s expertise will be invaluable.”

The Progress Group is made up of five education and training providers who work with individuals aged from 11 -65. They operate nationally, often supporting some of the most vulnerable in society to positively engage in education and training, with the ultimate goal of helping them to achieve their potential.

Prepare to Achieve wins Best Health and Social Care EPA Organisation 2020
Award winning  ·  End-Point Assessment  ·  Prepare to Achieve  ·  Skills agenda  ·  The Progress Group
Announcing, the winner of Best Health and Social Care EPA Organisation 2020

Prepare to Achieve, a specialist End-Point Assessment Organisation have been named Best Health and Social Care EPA Organisation 2020 – England by Corporate Vision Magazine. The annual awards recognises, congratulates and celebrates those institutions, organisations and agencies who – leading the way with education and training.

After what has already been a successful year for Prepare to Achieve who have enjoyed significant growth, and invested in the development of a new bespoke digital End-Point Assessment (EPA) platform, this award really is the icing on the cake!

Employers and training providers looking to work with Prepare to Achieve at the final stages of the apprenticeship programme, can be certain that as a business, Prepare to Achieve stand out from the crowd.  As industry leaders, they continue to keep one step ahead of their competition in order to deliver the best quality service for a simple EPA journey for everyone involved. The research team who made the final judgement on the winners of each category, took into consideration the online reputation, customer feedback, client dedication and innovation, all of which Prepare to Achieve illustrate through their company values and passion.

Lee Evans, CEO at Prepare to Achieve was delighted to receive the award, responding;

“As a specialist End-Point Assessment Organisation, we constantly have our eye on the end result and work hard to continually innovate our delivery. This approach helps to ensure that we provide an exceptional service to our apprentices and their employers and unwavering level of customer care.”

“Recognising the hard work of my team is something which I hold dear, but to have an external organisation recognise and award their hard work as well is even better!

The annual Education and Training Awards also recognised a number of education providers, Adult education institutions and Training centres. You can discover more of the award categories and winners on the Corporate Vision Magazine website.

Since being founded, Prepare to Achieve have continued to go from strength-the-strength. This was particularly evidenced during the recent lockdown when the specialist EPAO adapted their delivery quickly and seamlessly in order to continue to support their clients. This flexible approach resulted in over 150 apprentices via 39 employers being supported with throughout March-May alone. They now plan to build on their successes to-date by launching a new EPA platform and Apprentice Alumni in the coming moving, proving exactly why they deserve to be named Best Health and Social Care EPA Organisation.

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.

CareersInc support thousands of young people during lockdown
Adult Education  ·  Careers, Advice and Guidance  ·  CareersInc  ·  The Progress Group
Thousands of students supported with careers education during lockdown

As schools across the country had to close their doors and open their online classrooms during the recent lockdown, the team at CareersInc also adapted their delivery, to offer virtual careers, information, advice, and guidance to schools.

The team responded quickly to develop an online solution that would still provide young people with access to their Careers Adviser. And they were overwhelmed with the uptake, working with over 50 schools and more than 3,000 students throughout April and May.

CareersInc are passionate about supporting young people to plan their career journey, opening doors to the variety of options and educational routes that can lead to specific careers. Their virtual service enabled learners from all year groups, along with parents and carers, to book one-to-one online sessions with a Careers Adviser to discuss future career options.

Taking advantage of these online sessions, students used their time to discuss routeways after year 11, higher education options, Careers Guidance and the local and national labour market to name just a few.

CEO of CareersInc, James Madine, is delighted with the outcome of the virtual services launched pre-lockdown. He said,

“The Virtual Careers Advice has been a successful resource not only for learners, parents and carers but for us. It has highlighted the high demand for our services.

When physically in a school, it’s convenient for young people to access their adviser, but for them to go out of their way to book a session shows the positive impact that we’ve had on promoting the importance of careers education and planning their future, no matter what age group.”

Jodie Gregory, Careers Lead at The Academy @ Ridgewood Trust, has also been delighted with the level of support offered during these difficult times. She said “ The CareersInc adviser that works in our school have supported our students throughout the closure of schools, offering 1:1 guidance both on the phone and via email. Our students have really appreciated the support and have often been in touch more than once. The CareersInc service has been second to none and the advisers have been extremely flexible, adapting their normal way of working to ensure our students for what they need, when they needed it. The advisers continue to offer first-class support to our students and have been an asset to the school.”

On average, each CareersInc Adviser supported 6 students per day throughout April and May with Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG). To find out more about their Virtual Careers Advice, visit their website. 

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.