Employerlink autumn 2014

EmployerLink

AUTUMN 2014

City College Plymouth working with the local business community

In this issue:

STEM – Investing in the Future

Management and Business Skills WorkshopsPage 2

Science, Technology,

Engineering and Maths (STEM)

Education and Industry – a Collaborative ApproachPage 3

employersPARTNERS IN BUSINESS SUCCESS 125 YEARS

If you require this newsletter in a larger type or different format please telephone 01752 305300.

From the EditorWelcome to the latest edition of EmployerLink; City

College Plymouth’s newsletter for employers. This edition focuses on science, technology, engineering and maths – STEM. On page one, we detail the importance of the STEM agenda to the City and what we are doing to support these key industry sectors.

The College has significantly developed its training offer to employers over the summer, and I am delighted to introduce our newly refreshed Management and Business Skills Workshops. This exciting range of training has been designed with industry needs in mind and aims to meet the multi-faceted training required by businesses today. Turn to pages two and three to find out what’s on offer.

There have been considerable changes to the way your local further education (FE) college operates and you will see the challenges being faced and the opportunities being created within the FE sector on pages four and five.

Earlier in the year we held one of our highly successful Business Supper Club events in partnership with The Herald, which debated the future of our transport links following the collapse of the railway line at Dawlish. Turn to page six to find out what was debated and what the release of the new rail report means for the South West.

Turn to page seven, where you can read how the College has been working with local transport provider, Plymouth Citybus, on a bespoke recruitment programme that has paid real dividends for the business. This coupled with the opening of our very own recruitment agency in September, aims to enable businesses to access a range of staff to meet operational and workforce development needs. Find out how City College can smooth the process and reduce the cost of recruiting new staff, on page eight.

The College is a proud supporter of a number of organisations and initiatives within the City, and we are pleased to be supporting all three professional sports teams this year; Plymouth Albion RFC, Plymouth Argyle FC and Plymouth Raiders. Turn to pages nine and ten to see how we are supporting the teams and other initiatives in the City.

In June, the College held its inaugural Annual Business Dinner and Celebration Evening celebrating the training achievements of the last year with businesses including, Plymouth Citybus, Plymouth Community Healthcare and Babcock International Group plc. The black tie event included eight special awards for those businesses that have made a commitment to developing their staff, working with the College and supporting our young people. Turn to page 12 to read more.

I hope you enjoy reading EmployerLink. We aim to keep you informed with all the latest education and training news, but if there is a topic you would like to see covered please e-mail me at [email protected].

Sharron Robbie, EditorDirector of Marketing, Corporate Relations & Enterprise

From the PrincipalOver the next year we will be celebrating City College

Plymouth’s 125th anniversary. We will be reflecting on the many changes to education and the College over this period, while looking forward to the future and how the College continues to support the regeneration of Plymouth.

City College is dedicated to playing a pivotal role in the future development of the City by providing young people and industry with the skills and training that it needs. We are aware of the challenges and demands placed on industry, and work closely with Plymouth City Council and other leading organisations to ensure that the College is able to meet the changing demands for skills.

It is vital that the College continues to play a key role in retaining skills within the City, helping to reduce the migration of talent away from the region. Plymouth City Council and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have recognised several areas of industry growth

and we are working to meet the needs of these sectors, particularly the engineering, marine, creative and digital and construction industries – identified as priority growth sectors and therefore vital to the City’s future success.

Recently the Heart of the South West LEP secured an investment package worth £270million to support economic development. This includes £5.43million for the College to create a purpose built facility to train and inspire students in the key priority growth sectors for the City. The new build will provide a hub for learning centres of excellence in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), creative and digital technologies and marine engineering. These will provide top class facilities and high quality training to support local businesses, and enhance job and wealth creation.

In addition, the Department for Education has granted approval for a studio school to open in September 2015, with City College as the lead sponsor. Working in partnership with local employers and the University of St Mark and St John, the Plymouth Studio School will offer a range of academic, vocational and professional

qualifications, alongside the national curriculum, specialising in sport, hospitality, and tourism and leisure. In particular the Plymouth Studio School will pioneer a bold new approach to learning which includes teaching through enterprise projects and real work. This new approach to learning will address the growing gap between what young people require to succeed in life and the skills and knowledge the current education system provides.

The College continues to respond and evolve in parallel with the changes that are occurring within industry and the wider community. We are firmly committed and focused on meeting the training and skills development needs of the future. We are, and will continue to be, the leading provider of technical and vocational qualifications for young people and adults in the City, a position we are extremely proud of in our 125th year.

Phil Davies Principal & Chief Executive

www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers EmployerLink

STEM – Investing in the FutureThe engineering and science industries are a vital part of the UK economy and collectively turnover approximately £257billion. However, it is widely accepted that skills shortages in areas like maths, science and technology will severely threaten the UK’s capacity for growth. In 2013, the Education and Skills Survey found 39% of businesses were struggling to recruit workers with the advanced and technical STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills that they needed.

The focus on STEM and in developing STEM skills within education and industry is the result of the expected growth and development of the manufacturing and advanced manufacturing sectors at a national level. The manufacturing sector is the third largest sector in the UK in terms of share of UK GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and access to a skilled workforce is vital in ensuring that the UK can keep pace in this highly competitive, fast moving global sector.

The advanced manufacturing industry was recognised in the recent Government report, ‘Plan for Growth’, in response to greater competition from other countries, namely Germany, the US and Japan who have considerably developed their advanced manufacturing industries. The report also recognised the changing nature of the industry, which is attempting to keep up with the rapid development of new, emerging technologies.

At a local level, advanced manufacturing and the marine industries have been recognised in the Plymouth Local Economic Strategy as priority growth sectors, with advanced manufacturing accounting for 13% of the total economy.

The importance of these industries is further emphasised with the Plymouth and South West Peninsula City Deal, which will open up Plymouth’s South Yard and invest an estimated £296million into the South West over the next 15 years. In order to maximise the potential growth of the manufacturing and marine industries and capitalise on the City Deal the City has to have the right skills at its disposal – we must ensure that our young people possess high quality STEM skills in order to meet future sector needs.

› How is the College responding?

As part of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal, City College Plymouth has secured £5.43million of capital funding towards the development of a purpose-built facility at our Kings Road site, which will provide a new hub for learning centres of excellence in STEM, creative and digital technologies and marine engineering. This centre of excellence will promote and provide growth and opportunities for these sectors in terms of skills development, connectivity and innovation, as well as supporting job creation and promoting enterprise.

The College’s commitment to developing its STEM facilities is inextricably linked to the City Deal and the expected growth of STEM industries within the City. As the principal provider of technical and vocational skills based education for young people and adults in the City, this development is essential in meeting the future skills needs of industry and supporting young people into employment.

Phil Davies, Principal and Chief Executive of City College Plymouth said:

“It is essential that the College is able to support existing and future

regeneration projects and contribute to the wider skills needs of the City and region. This in turn supports the region’s strategies for growth and prosperity.

“The College needs to continually invest in its estate and facilities to

ensure that we are able to deliver a first-class range of provision from entry to university-level education. The portfolio we are developing has a strong focus on delivering employer-driven provision, creating job-ready students and proactively promoting wealth creation through embedding enterprise and employability. This is critical if we are to raise the aspirations of Plymouth’s young people, particularly in this current economic period, where youth unemployment is unacceptably high.

“As a result of this funding the College will be able to enhance the support we give to local business and the region’s key employment and wealth-creating sectors by providing the skills they need to become more competitive.”

This development will complement the already strong Apprenticeship provision at the College, which was recognised as Outstanding by Ofsted in 2012 as well as its employer-led provision in engineering, marine engineering and digital and creative industries.

Sources: Annual Business Inquiry (ABI) Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2007 Confederation of British Industry (CBI) 2010 Department for Education, ‘The STEM cohesion programme: final report, 28 July 2011 CBI/Pearson education and skills survey, ‘Changing the Pace’, 2013 HM Treasury, ‘The Plan for Growth’, March 2011 Plymouth Local Economic Strategy 2006 to 2021 and beyond (LES)

If you would like to find out more about training in engineering, marine engineering or creative and digital, or would like to explore sponsorship opportunities for this new development please call the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

1 EmployerLinkT: 01752 305026 E: [email protected]

Management and Business Skills Workshops

Our Management and Business Skills Workshops have been developed considerably since their creation in 2012. Designed with businesses in mind, our workshops provide training that is professional, flexible, specific to business needs, cost-effective and which adds value across all business areas.

We have listened to your feedback around your training needs and grown our portfolio of workshops to meet these needs − our exciting range of training gives you access to a wide choice

of workshops, which can impact positively on business and team performance.

Available from September 2014, our new series of one, three, five and eight day training packages give you access to job specific training to support internal progression and workforce development. These are not to be missed...

Our one day workshops cover 15 business critical areas, and offers a quick and easy way to effectively train and update staff in order to add to the existing skills set within your workforce.

Workshops are available in:

¿ assertiveness and confidence management ¿ basics of purchasing ¿ business communication ¿ coaching and mentoring

¿ conflict management

¿ digital marketing ¿ effective communication ¿ marketing essentials ¿ marketing planning ¿ minute taking ¿ negotiation skills ¿ NLP (neuro-lingustic programming) ¿ project planning ¿ public speaking

¿ sales techniques.

Workshops start from just £100 per person and include lunch and all learning materials and resources. If would like to find out more or would like to book your place, please call 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

“Very informative and relevant.”

We recognise that certain job roles and specific work areas require specialist training, so in order to support this we have introduced two new packages to support the training needs of those working within a Personal Assistant/Executive Assistant role, and for those working within a marketing function or who undertake marketing-related work.

PA Plus – £750This eight day course has been designed in consultation with Personal Assistants (PAs) and Executive Assistants and has been created in direct response to the needs of those working within a PA role. This role is multi-faceted and therefore, training is required that allows individuals to develop a variety of skills that are representative of the complex job role. The course includes eight days of training and topics range from customer service and business communication through to project planning and management.

Marketing Essentials – £399Our three day course will enable you to develop essential marketing skills in both marketing planning and digital marketing. This is a great opportunity for businesses large or small to gain up-to-date and practical marketing strategies and techniques to use within their day-to-day business activities to drive sales and income.

One Day Workshops

Specialist Training Packages

”A very useful course and well delivered.”

91% of delegates deemed the workshop excellent.

”I really enjoyed the course and was taught in a clear and helpful way.”

Are you a member of the Employer Endorsement Scheme? Enjoy a 10% discount on all one day Management and Business Skills Workshops if you book before October 2014!*

Book your place by calling 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

2 www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers EmployerLink

Our three and five day training packages have been designed for staff working within all industries and at all levels, and offer a fantastic range of modules to support staff in gaining a range of workplace skills.

A three day package of training costs just £399 and a five day package, £499.

How do I create my personal development plan?

It’s easy, just follow the step-by-step guide …

Training that Works for You

Our New Training Packages

Choose a training package eg Admin Expert

Choose either the three or five day option

Three Day PackageTwo mandatory workshops

Five Day PackageTwo mandatory workshops

Choose one optional workshop Choose three optional workshops

Call 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected] to book the dates

that suit you

Admin ExpertDesigned for those who work in an administration role or an office environment, our Admin Expert training package allows you to develop key administrative skills. The mandatory workshops on offer cover Word and Excel courses (basic to advanced, depending on your existing knowledge) and communication skills. Choose from the following optional workshops:

¿ assertiveness and confidence management

¿ business communication

¿ coaching and mentoring


¿ customer service

¿ effective communication

¿ minute taking

¿ project planning

¿ public speaking – introduction to professional presentation skills.

Customer ServiceCustomer service skills are required in almost every job role and are a vital skill for anybody working with internal and/or external customers, clients and stakeholders. This training package will allow you to develop essential communication skills in order to deal with customers. The two mandatory workshops cover key customer service and communication skills and for the optional workshops you can choose from the following:




¿ negotiation skills

¿ project planning

¿ public speaking – introduction to professional presentation skills.

Introduction to ManagementOur training package enables newly appointed managers or those seeking to step into management positions to study and learn management techniques and to develop confidence and skills in managing people or projects. The two mandatory workshops cover management essentials, as well as coaching and mentoring skills. Optional workshops include:




¿ customer service


¿ Excel – all levels

¿ project planning

¿ public speaking – intro to professional presentation skills

¿ Word – all levels.

Selling for SuccessSelling in today’s competitive market place requires strong negotiation skills, great account management, excellent customer service and the ability to be assertive and inspire confidence. The mandatory workshops within this training package cover key sales and negotiation techniques with the optional workshops including:


¿ customer service


¿ project planning

¿ public speaking – intro to professional presentation skills.

* This offer is for the one day Management and Business Skills Workshops running between September 2014 and August 2015 inclusive. The offer is only valid for courses booked between July and October 2014 inclusive. Any courses booked after October 2014 will be charged at the standard rate and will not include the 10% discount. The discount can be used for all staff employed by a College Employer Endorser. This offer does not include any other training packages, including the three, five and eight day packages or any other College courses.

For more information about these workshops, and to book your place, please call the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

T: 01752 305026 E: [email protected] EmployerLink 3

Quietly Cutting the Budget for Further Education This year, the Government announced that the Adult Skills Budget, which funds training for those who are 19 years and older, was to be cut by 20% between now and 2015/16 − a fifth of the funding is essentially disappearing.

Jonn Elledge, Journalist and Editor of CityMetric, published an article in the New Statesman earlier this year, which asks the question, ‘why didn’t anybody bother to take notice?’. Jonn says:

“Imagine that, one morning, [the minister for Education] cheerily

announced that he was cutting a fifth of all funding to schools. Imagine the outcry. Imagine the angry articles, the protest marches … Now consider the fact that … the Government actually did cut 20% from an education budget. The Adult Skills Budget … This time, though, there’s been no angry media commentary; protest marches have been conspicuous by their absence.”

What Jonn explains in his article, and what should make every one of us question, is why nobody cares about further education (FE) institutions in the same way as we care about schools; and why FE is repeatedly burdened by a reduced education budget?

Many of you who are reading this may have either trained in an FE college, know someone that has, or work within a business that repeatedly sends its staff to its local college. In fact, according to Jonn, an estimated three million people study in FE colleges every year, that’s one in 20 of the population. However, the Association of Colleges says that the average funding per student in schools is £5,600 but in FE it is just £4,000 for 16-17 year olds and £3,800 for those aged 18 and over.

The funding per student does not necessarily affect the quality of the teaching. In fact, City College Plymouth prides itself on its teaching staff, who are tuned into industry and who have a wealth of experience working within the subjects they teach, and added to that the College also has some of the best training facilities in the region. However, what this does mean is that FE colleges have to work much differently to schools and work much more innovatively to maintain a balanced book.

There’s more though, as Jonn states in his article:

“It’s [FE colleges] dealing with the problems schools have failed to resolve.”

Jonn explains that FE colleges are required to ensure that every student who doesn’t get a grade C or above in their English and maths GCSEs should have another chance to get one but the

college does not get any more money to fund this extra teaching. As Jonn puts it,

“Colleges are effectively being told to deal with schools’ failure on pain of poverty.”

The difference in funding between schools and FE colleges is not all bad though. In a roundabout way it has made FE colleges operate much more leanly, has made us work with local industry much more than schools traditionally do and has made us more enterprising – and in the case of City College Plymouth, more determined than ever to do a good job when it comes to training our young people.

Source: Jonn Elledge, ‘Why don’t we care that the further education budget has just been cut by 20%?’, New Statesman, 14 February 2014

Seven business administration apprentices from Babcock International Group plc have undertaken two days volunteering at City College Plymouth’s on-site allotments.

The College’s ‘Grow Allot’ project began in 2013 and has seen the creation of allotment plots available for use by the local community. Products grown from the allotments are used in the College’s training restaurant, PL1. The ‘Grow-Allot’ project has gone from strength-to-strength and with the help of the Babcock apprentices, now produces everything from beetroots to turnips!

Over the two days, the apprentices worked with the College’s Local Food Allotment Co-ordinator to build a poly tunnel, create raised beds, fix allotment infrastructure and plant a variety of vegetables.

Apprentice, Sophie Morgan, said:

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Daren McLane, the College’s Local

Food Allotment Co-ordinator and it was great to get stuck in! Doing something that was beneficial to the community was really rewarding and I am grateful I got to do this as part of my Apprenticeship with Babcock.”

Dee Rudd, Administration Support Manager (Apprentices) at Babcock, said:

“We are extremely committed to supporting all of our apprentices,

ensuring they have the opportunity to develop their work skills, but also that they help the community by volunteering. It is crucial that our young employees have the opportunity to develop key work and life skills that ensure they are well-rounded individuals and best placed to succeed in the workplace.

“With the College’s support for our apprentices, it made complete

sense for their volunteering activity to take place there and the allotment project was such a great initiative to be involved in.”

Babcock Apprentices Dig deep at College Allotments

If you think your business would benefit from an apprentice please call 01752 305026 or visit www.cityplym.ac.uk for more information.


Education and Industry – a Collaborative Approach

Sharron Robbie, Director of Marketing, Corporate Relations & Enterprise talks about the changes in education and how City College Plymouth is paving the way for a more collaborative approach to working with industry ...

Over the past few years there has been a real change in the way Further Education (FE) Colleges connect with industry – there has been a major shift from the traditional, transactional attitude to a more strategic, collaborative and partnership-focused approach. This change has been borne out of a number of key drivers, which have had a significant impact on the relationship between education and business.

The economic downturn is an obvious place to start, with industry requiring training that was relevant, responsive and affordable rather than a ‘one size fits all’ offer, which focused on NVQs and Apprenticeships; industry needed to be leaner and sharper, with a workforce that was multi-skilled, able to add value and deliver efficiency savings.

This sea change in the external drivers within the environment have given rise to the very real need for colleges to place employer engagement and building sustainable industry relationships at the heart of what they do.

In order for education to keep abreast of changing industry demands, FE colleges have had to evolve, developing stronger communication strategies, building robust and sustainable partnerships that provide mutual benefits to both parties and ensuring that our work with industry is credible and benefits our local, economic community, and this has been the case for City College Plymouth.

We recognised the need for the College to be more entrepreneurial, not only in what we deliver to our students but also in how we ‘do business’. Industry has been demanding work-ready and enterprising students for some time now, and the growth of the Gazelle Colleges Group is a direct response to this. City College Plymouth became a Gazelle College in 2012 and since that time we have responded to market demands by embedding enterprise and entrepreneurial activity in all that we do. This ensures that students leave us with not only a depth of technical knowledge, but also a breadth of capabilities and qualities, including commercial awareness and acumen – we call these T-shaped learners.

The positive impact the College has within the community cannot be underestimated; whether this is through the alignment of our curriculum to the City’s key priority sectors to support employers gain access to a labour market skilled in the competencies required for growth and competitiveness, or via shared priorities and a collaborative approach to achieving these.

We have developed and implemented a robust employer engagement strategy over the past five years, which is yielding positive and mutually beneficial results. This has not been achieved

overnight, it has taken time and resources to establish and manage the excellent relationships we have with industry, but, this investment has certainly paid dividends. Students and staff at the College have access to a range of industry linked activity, which enhances the learning experience and supports continual professional development. Our curriculum is designed and developed by industry via a series of advisory boards and we are seen by the business and wider communities as being a valued strategic partner.

Further education must embrace the opportunity to develop long term relationships with employers, providing as they do, strong partnership working, sustainable collaborations and community cohesion, helping to stimulate wealth and job creation. The prospect of employers having a real stake in their FE college and being able to see their college as being absolutely key to their future plans is critical if FE colleges are to continue to play a meaningful role within training and skills for industry.

City College Plymouth is keen to develop further industry links, and we are well placed to support businesses with workforce development via Apprenticeships, or via skills training and recruitment to fill vital skills gaps to enable greater competitiveness and efficiency. Our ethos is to build strong, sustainable relationships with industry, and by doing so to be considered by employers as their training partner – working together to achieve business success.

If you would like to find out how City College Plymouth can support your business, please contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].


Earlier this year the South West saw some of the worst storms the region has ever encountered and as a result the region was essentially cut off by rail following the collapse of the rail line at Dawlish – this lasted for two months, which ultimately cost the rail industry almost £45million.

Public outcry followed, politician’s waded into the debate and David Cameron even ventured down to Dawlish. The spotlight was firmly on the South West and our poorly invested transport links.

Fast forward five months to the re-opening of the Dawlish line, and the release of Network Rail’s report, which looks seriously at the options for the future of our rail line. The report was expected to make a £400million promise to ensure there is never a repeat of the rail line collapse at Dawlish. However, what the Network Rail report clearly conveyed is the fact that an alternative route to the Dawlish line, whichever route that may take, is essentially ‘poor value for money’.

The report looked at nine ways to upgrade the Great Western rail line, including seven alternative routes, with the main options being:

The ‘base case’ − the ‘do nothing’ option, which the Government is reluctant to promote or endorse.

Strengthening the existing line − the least expensive option with an estimated cost of between £398million and £659million.

Alternative route A − reinstating the London and South West railway route from Exeter to Plymouth via

Okehampton at an estimated cost of £875million.

Alternative route B − a new railway constructed in alignment with the former Teign Valley branch line from

Exeter to Newton Abbot at an estimated cost of £470million. This option also includes significant development of the A30 road near Exeter.

Alternative route C − five new rail routes providing direct routes between Exeter and Newton Abbot at an estimated cost

of between £1.49billion and £3.10billion.

Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, commented on the report by saying:

“This study is an important step towards … providing the region

with a rail network that helps it thrive. And crucially, along with a package of measures already planned to boost resilience, it will ensure that there is no repeat of the disruption we saw earlier this year during the severe weather.

“I will consider its content before making an announcement on the next

steps later this year.”

Following the release of this report, MPs and peers have formed a new cross-party lobbying group in order to secure Government investment in the South West’s rail network, including better train services. The All Party Parliamentary Group for South West Rail will join the likes of the Peninsula Rail Task Force in lobbying for greater investment in all aspects of the South West’s rail network.

The Rail Report – Where do we go from here?

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Businesses debate our transport links at the Business Supper Club

Earlier in the year business professionals came together at the College’s highly successful Business Supper Club, run in partnership with The Herald, to debate the future of our transport links, led by David Parlby, previous Chief Executive of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Here’s what businesses had to say …

One voice, one messageAll delegates were in agreement on the need for the South West Peninsula to speak with one voice and provide Government with one clear message and one clear solution. This in turn would ensure the Government is made aware of exactly what the region wants and needs – let’s make the South West an easy win for the Government.

Money, money, moneySome delegates expressed the relatively low cost of an alternative rail route compared to other rail initiatives such as HS2, which is costing an estimated £50billion. It was agreed by all in the room that they feel that the South West has been abandoned from Government attention and future investments, in fact on some Government plans, the South West is not even on the map.

It’s not just about our rail linksA lot of the debate covered the thorny issue that other transport links need improving too, such as the A303 and the creation of an international cruise liner port. It was agreed by many that the South West will not get an extension of the M5 to Plymouth and beyond, which signals the low priority the

area west of Exeter takes on a national stage. The emotive issue of Plymouth’s airport, or lack of it, was also raised with a general consensus not being reached on whether the City really needs one or not.

Sources: National Rail, West of Exeter Route Resilience Study, Summer 2014. The Herald, ‘Plymouth rail link report says Dawlish avoiding line would be “poor value for money”’, 16 July 2014

The full West of Exeter Route Resilience Report can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/WestofExeterRouteResilienceStudy.pdf.

Want to join in future debates? Join us for the next Business Supper Club on Tuesday 23 September – see page 12 for further details.


Plymouth Citybus Case StudyPlymouth Citybus is celebrating the success of its fourth sector-based work academy, run in partnership with City College Plymouth and Jobcentre Plus. This bespoke recruitment programme has enabled Plymouth Citybus to fill another eight driver vacancies, with the company now hiring a total of 28 new employees through this route.

The biggest public transport provider in Plymouth, Plymouth Citybus serves over 14million passengers a year and employs over 500 people. This growing business, part of the international Go-Ahead Group, has worked with the College and Jobcentre Plus for two years in order to implement a robust and business-specific recruitment programme that has paid dividends to Plymouth Citybus and helped over 40 unemployed, local individuals to gain key work skills and employment.

City College Plymouth worked in collaboration with Plymouth Citybus to develop a three week recruitment and training programme in order to recruit new bus drivers to the company. This bespoke programme combines classroom learning with practical, hands-on work experience that allows individuals to develop key work skills such as communication, customer service and presentation skills, as well as gaining an understanding of the role of a Plymouth Citybus driver.

Recruitment for Plymouth Citybus was usually achieved through traditional routes, but the company found this route quite limiting and individuals often did not have an adequate understanding of the company or of the role of the driver upon applying. Since starting to

recruit through sector-based work academies, the company no longer needs to use costly advertisements but has found it can recruit high quality candidates through this option.

Debbie Hicks, Recruitment and Training Manager at Plymouth Citybus, said:

“Working with the College in order to recruit new staff members has

been an overwhelmingly positive experience for the whole company. We share a common goal to help and benefit those within the community, whilst also ensuring our business can remain competitive.

“With the sector-based work academies we can recruit individuals who are motivated, promote team work and really understand our business. From day one, these individuals make a positive impact on the business and their attitude and work ethic not only reflects on them but impacts on all staff. The positive effects are enormous.

“The calibre of candidates we hire are of very high quality and have benefited from attending training at the College, which improves their communication and customer service skills – skills that are a top priority as a bus driver and are extremely important to our company. I would recommend any business to consider this alternative route to recruitment − we have not looked back since.”

The positive effects are not only with the business, those unemployed individuals who take part in the programme and who are specially selected by Jobcentre Plus can reap the benefits of three weeks of training, which allows them to develop transferrable skills that suit most workplaces.

Every participant is guaranteed an interview with the company at the end of the programme and even if not successful, they often go on to secure employment elsewhere with their new skill set and motivation.

Sharron Robbie, Director of Marketing, Corporate Relations & Enterprise at City College Plymouth talks about the benefits to the community as a whole...

“The sector-based work academies benefit businesses positively but also

help unemployed individuals gain valuable employment with some of the City’s top employers. The Academy is not restricted by industry and therefore can support a variety of businesses in all industry areas, such as retail and engineering.

“The benefit to the community is two-fold, unemployment decreases and businesses and the City retain a local workforce that live and spend in Plymouth. I am delighted this has been so successful for Plymouth Citybus and for those new bus drivers employed by them.”

Plymouth Citybus is currently planning its fifth sector-based work academy.

If you would like to find out how City College Plymouth can support recruitment for your business, please call 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected] or turn to page eight to find out about our new Recruitment Agency.


Whether you are looking for an apprentice, seeking an individual to fill a temporary position or would like to recruit a full-time member of staff, City College Plymouth can help make the process quick and easy with the introduction of our new Recruitment Agency.

It is estimated that it costs almost £6,000 to recruit a new member of staff, not taking into account lost output that occurs when trying to replace someone. This recruitment cost is often attributed to expensive advertising and agent fees. However, with the College, you now have a much more cost-effective way to access over 18,000 students that study with us every year, as well as being able to access young people throughout the City via our well established communication channels.

The introduction of a College recruitment agency formalises the work we have been doing over recent months to help businesses recruit students. We recognise that the benefit is two-fold – you receive a new member of staff at reduced recruitment costs and our students gain employment.

We can help your recruitment requirements by:

¿ advertising your vacancy(s) to our student body

¿ matching the best students for your vacancy

¿ giving you access to some of the very best student talent

¿ ensuring students are interview ready

¿ work with you from interview to employment.

By working with us you can gain a temporary or permanent member of staff that is motivated, knowledgeable in your industry area and who is ‘work ready’ with key employability skills such as confidence, the ability to work within a team and good communication skills.

Sources: HR Review, ‘It costs over £30k to replace a member of staff’, 25 February 2014, http://www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/recruitment/it-costs-over-30k-to-replace-a-staff-member

Recruit New Staff with theworkspace

Want to find out more? Contact theworkspace on 01752 856855 or e-mail [email protected].

City College Plymouth recently celebrated the five year anniversary of its Employer Endorsement Scheme. Created in 2009 with just four members, the Scheme has now grown to a membership of over 50 organisations, and to celebrate we welcomed Employer Endorsers into the College’s PL1 Restaurant for a celebratory breakfast.

Sharron Robbie, Director of Marketing, Corporate Relations & Enterprise at the College, said:

“The Scheme has gone from strength-to-strength since its

inception and we are extremely grateful to all our employer endorsers for their continued support and their contribution to our students’ learning and development over the past five years. As a College, we are extremely committed to creating partnerships with industry as we see the value of forging these links − for us, our students and for businesses alike.

“Our partnerships with industry really are mutually beneficial and

we have continued to support industry through our high quality training and valuable business services. I look forward to continuing our work together in the future and in growing our partnerships with industry. Here’s to the next five years!”

As a way of saying thank you, all Employer Endorsers received a certificate of membership, celebrating the working partnership.

Ken Holder, Senior Apprentice Coordinator at Plymouth City Council, which has been a member for four years added:

“We have enjoyed a close working relationship with City College

Plymouth for a number of years and work with them on our extensive Apprenticeship programmes.

Working with the College, you get a personalised service and training and support which is rare to find elsewhere.”

If you would like to find out more about the Employer Endorsement Scheme, please call 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

Are you an Employer Endorser? Look out for your new, monthly e-mailer on the last Wednesday of every month! This will detail forthcoming events and special discounts available exclusively to YOU as an Employer Endorser!

Employer Endorsement Scheme Update


Supporting the City’s Professional Sporting Teams

KAM Column Funding, Finance and Future Training

We’ve all done it – been sent on training by the company we are working for and mid-way through the morning wonder why we are there and asking ‘how is this helping me?’, which generally means it isn’t (let’s call this situation A).

Hopefully, you have also undertaken training that has been a positive experience and has allowed you to develop a whole host of new ways in which you have been able to work better (let’s call this situation B).

When I first entered the further education sector and funding was plentiful, businesses were more than willing to put staff on accredited courses because they were ‘free’. Whilst some of this training was able to provide businesses and individuals with exactly what they were looking for, for many it led to situation A. The reason for this was that although it wasn’t exactly what was required, it didn’t cost anything – although by the time you take into account staff costs and lost productivity it was far from ‘free’.

As the Government systematically reduces the Adult Skills Budget meaning little funding for those over the age of 19 and almost no funding for those over the age of 24, businesses want something different. If a business is paying for training then they are only interested in achieving situation B.

The cut in funding provides challenges to both employers and colleges alike but it also provides an abundance of opportunities. With business and education sectors collaborating effectively, the opportunity is there to break from the shackles of accredited qualifications and develop training packages that are both high

quality and good value, therefore maximising business impact.

I believe we have successfully achieved this through the development of our Management and Business Skills Workshops and range of training packages detailed on pages two and three of this publication (subtle I know!). They provide businesses with the opportunity to access high quality, professional training and workforce development and are great value-for-money.

Matt Maclean Key Account Manager

Follow Matt on LinkedIn; search Matt Maclean City College Plymouth.

City College Plymouth plays a major role in the local community, contributing £53million directly to the local economy, and £61million indirectly, as well as training 10% of Plymouth’s population every year. However, for us, being part of the community is more than just our economic impact, it is the impact we have on other organisations and the community as a whole.

This year the College is continuing to support Plymouth Albion RFC, Plymouth Argyle Football Club and Plymouth Raiders, as we recognise that these teams play an integral role in shaping and forming the City’s identity, in adding to the local economy and most importantly, inspiring and engaging our young people.

We are proud to be sponsoring the Plymouth Raiders basketball team alongside becoming one of Plymouth Argyle’s ‘Pilgrim Partners’ for the 2014/15 season. Our support of these two professional teams also extends to include two linked sports academies, Plymouth Raiders Academy and the Football Performance Academy.

Both academies aim to develop home-grown talent and attract other young budding sports stars to the area in order to train in the College’s first-class facilities, work with College teaching staff and alongside the staff and players from Raiders and Argyle. The academies will support and encourage young talent to gain the skills and experience needed to carve out a successful career in basketball or football whilst gaining an academic qualification.

Academy Manager for Sport at the College, Charlie Legg, talks about the sports academies:

“We are really excited to be working with the City’s professional clubs.

The College offers young talented players an opportunity to gain the very best sports and coaching training, as well as associated skills such as strengthening and conditioning alongside a full-time education. Another advantage is that Academy students have access to a range of high-level qualifications enabling players to study Foundation Degrees and in doing so continue to study and work within the City.”

If you would like to find out more about our sports academies, please call 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

To contact Matt to find out how he can help you meet your businesses needs through training please call 01752 305008 or e-mail [email protected].

T: 01752 305026 E: [email protected] EmployerLink 9

Plymouth Your Space Project Scoops National Prize The Plymouth Your Space project was developed by Plymouth City Council in an attempt to rejuvenate empty shops and spaces in the City Centre and Waterfront areas of the City. It does this by opening up spaces to start-up businesses or community projects.

The initiative, which is being run in partnership with Plymouth City Council, City College Plymouth, Plymouth University, the City Centre Company and Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, has been so successful that it has been recognised by the Association for Town and City Management at the National Partnership Awards.

The Plymouth Your Space project won two awards, the “Diversifying the Business Mix” award and the “National Partnership of the Year” award.

The judges particularly liked the work of local social enterprise, Effervescent, which has opened up in one of the City’s iconic landmarks, Radiant House in Derry’s Cross. Effervescent is now offering a range of services from the former bank premises, including a tea parlour, art gallery, rehearsal space and creative business incubation hub.

If you would like to find out more about Plymouth Your Space, please visit www.plymouthyourspace.co.uk.

Businesses across the South West are benefitting from a new online community that is helping them share expertise and access opportunities to grow.

Designed to bring together businesses in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall, gaininbusiness.com was made possible by the Peninsula City Deal Growth Hub, which is being delivered in partnership by GAIN (the Growth Acceleration and Investment Network).

With 1,500 users registered to date, and new businesses joining daily, it enables users to tap into advice, expertise and information from other businesses, advisors and investors in the region. Highly interactive and designed to encourage discussion, it gives each member a personal homepage with content targeted at their own areas of interest.

The site also features a fast and comprehensive search for local, regional, national and European funding and a forum for pitching questions to the business community and sharing expertise, and provides users with easy access to support providers/agencies as well as information on local events, training programmes and workshops.

gaininbusiness.com brings these resources together into one place for the first time and provides a platform for sharing expertise. Businesses across the region are already contributing guides, videos and tools so others can benefit from their experience.

Contributions so far have come from Lizard-based digital expert, Rob Edlin, who gives his top tips on getting the most out of Google and Raoul Witherall, explaining how his company, IO Technologies Group, was able to succeed globally from its base in Plymouth.

Still undergoing development, the GAIN team is gathering feedback from the business community to inform its future direction.

In addition to the site, businesses also have access to free and impartial advice through GAIN’s Business Engagement Service helpline. Gain’s expert advisors are on hand to help businesses cut through the often complex range of business support − by honing in on a business’s current position and growth aspirations to provide useful and relevant advice and direct them to the most appropriate services, providers and investment support.

Professor Julian Beer, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Regional Enterprise at Plymouth University, said:

“gaininbusiness.com is fast becoming the place for businesses

across the South West to meet, share experiences and access support.

“GAIN means access to new business and growth opportunities, finance and investment, and world class knowledge and research facilities and equipment. Through gaininbusiness.com and our Business Engagement Service, we are aiming to help 10,000 South West businesses achieve their potential.”

GAIN exists to accelerate the creation, growth and investment in high quality businesses and ideas to create wealth and jobs in the South West Peninsula. It includes Formation Zones in Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall’s Unlocking Potential enterprise programme, Cornwall’s three innovation centres, the Beacon peer-to-peer business network across the South West, the national University Enterprise Network and world class University R&D facilities.

South West Businesses GAIN From New Online Community

The service can be reached on 0800 073 2020 or e-mail [email protected].

10 EmployerLink www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers

TAP into Gifted Young People With Our Talent Ambition ProgrammeCity College Plymouth is supporting the development and growth of home grown talent via an innovative project which aims to link College high-flyers with industry. With College students much more likely to stay in the Plymouth travel-to-work area we recognise that it is essential for us to work with employers in order to give our young people every available opportunity to develop and gain employment.

The Talent Ambition Programme (TAP) has been created in order to support students who have an identified or emerging talent in a particular

discipline, to reach their full potential through extra-curricular activities and work experience. However, the Programme also addresses the need for the City to retain local talent rather than lose it to London and other larger cities. The Programme will allow young people to maximise their opportunities to access the varied and high quality career opportunities that exist in the City, whilst allowing you, the employer, to pick from Plymouth’s most talented young people.

If your business is looking at its future succession planning, or looking at ways to attract high quality, future employees, then TAP

could be the route for you and your business. The College will link your business to one of our gifted young people at the College for work experience, internships, part-time or full-time work, allowing your business to benefit from a hard-working and bright student.

Enterprise in Action – College Branded Clothing

College students studying level 2 and 3 in business have set up their own small enterprise selling College branded clothing and merchandise. The business has been incorporated into their studies and has proved not only profitable but also hugely beneficial in developing their employability skills.

Students started the business by carrying out market research in order to establish what clothing would be popular amongst their peers, including type, colour and style. They visited local company, Frontline Image ltd, which specialises in supplying bespoke, personalised clothing. Furthermore, the students designed and created the associated visual merchandise in order to sell their clothing.

The hoodies, t-shirts and beanie hats have proved to be very popular amongst College students but the real benefit has been to the business students themselves. They have been able to gain experience in setting up their own enterprise and many students have since used this experience

in job interviews and for inclusion in their university applications. Members of the team have developed key employability skills, ensuring that they are prepared for the real world of work, once their studies are complete.

If you would like to find out more about our Talent Ambition Programme, please call the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].


During the summer term the College held its inaugural Annual Business Dinner and Celebration Evening, which was sponsored by Plymouth Gin. The evening celebrated the great training achievements by industry over the last year and recognised the investment local employers have made in their workforce as well as celebrating the continued partnership working between the College and industry.

The glamorous black tie event was held in the College’s plush PL1 Restaurant and welcomed over 80 people for an evening of celebration. Guests started the evening by enjoying a special Plymouth Gin reception where College music students, playing as the Manhattan Band, entertained guests with their blend of indie and blues music. Guests enjoyed canapés and a refreshing gin and tonic before being seated for dinner, where they heard from College Principal, Phil Davies, on the vital working links between the College and local businesses, before enjoying a stunning five-course meal.

The event enabled the College to formally thank a number of employers and following dinner certificates were presented recognising the continued partnership between the College and industry, before eight special prizes were awarded.

Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus and winners of the Contribution to the Community Award, said:

”The working partnership between Citybus and City College has grown

from strength-to-strength over the last couple of years, building on foundations put in place many years ago.

“The partnership is built on shared goals, a key one being to keep talent within Plymouth. We are dedicated to the training of new recruits and employees already within Citybus, something that City College plays a huge part in.

“We will make sure the relationship continues to grow, meaning more and more students will benefit in the coming years.”

College Holds Inaugural Annual Business Dinner

Dates for your diaries ...Business Supper Club

¿ Tuesday 23 September – Sink or swim with Plymouth’s Waterfront? With special guest, Sarah O’Leary, Waterfront Manager ¿ Tuesday 21 October – Is Plymouth a Global City? With special guest UKTI

Controversial debate and honest opinions are the name of the game at City College Plymouth’s Business Supper Club, run in partnership with The Herald. The only event of its kind in Plymouth, it enables business professionals and those passionate about the South West to debate key topics and play their part in supporting change.

Business Supper Clubs take place between 5.45pm and 8.30pm and cost just £15 per person, including a two course meal with coffee.

Suggest a topic by calling us on 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected] or tweet us @businesssupper.

Enterprise Week Luncheon

¿ Wednesday 19 November 12.00noon – 2.00pm £20 per person or £140 for a table of eight

This popular luncheon will celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, the world’s largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship and Plymouth Social Enterprise Week. Guests will enjoy a delicious three course lunch and hear from an innovative business speaker on the topic of women in enterprise.

Employer Christmas Lunch

With special guest, Justin King CBE, previous CEO of Sainsbury’s plc

¿ Friday 5 December 12.00noon – 2.00pm £20 per person or £140 for a table of eight

Our annual Christmas luncheon will, this year, welcome a very special guest – Justin King, previous CEO of Sainsbury’s plc. Justin was Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s for a decade and directed the company into growth, almost doubling the number of customers per week and adding an extra £10billion of sales, boosting the annual profit from £245million to £798million.

Guests will enjoy a festive three course meal before hearing from Justin who will speak about his successful career at Sainsbury’s.

› › ›

All corporate events take place in our PL1 Restaurant, Kings Road, Plymouth, PL1 5QG. To book your place on any of these events, and for our full terms and conditions please-mail [email protected].


The Winners

Employer Endorser of the Year

Duke of Cornwall HotelOutstanding Commitment to Training (250+ employees)

Babcock International Group plc

Outstanding Commitment to Training (less than 250 employees)

MGB Engineering

Apprenticeship Champion (private sector)

Princess Yachts International plcApprenticeship Champion (public sector)

Plymouth City CouncilOutstanding Commitment to the Community

Plymouth Citybus

Training Programme of the Year

Plymouth Community HomesThe Gazelle Employability Award

Plymouth Community Healthcare

Plans are already in place for the 2015 Annual Business Dinner and Celebration Evening which will take place on Thursday 18 June from 7.00pm in our PL1 Restaurant. Tickets cost just £45 per person, or purchase a table of eight at the reduced price of £300, or a table of four at £150. This event will sell out quickly and if you would like to book your place, please call 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].


College SurveyYour feedback is important in enabling us to improve our training and the service we provide to employers, and so we ask you to complete a short survey in November of every year.

If you, or your employees have undertaken training within the previous year, you will receive an e-mail asking you to complete our short survey. Your feedback helps us to establish what we have done well and what

we could improve on. It is important for us to ensure we are meeting your business needs and providing you with the service that is expected.

Look out for your e-mail coming soon, and thank you in anticipation.

Mailing ListIf you have received a copy of this newsletter from a colleague and would like to be added to our mailing list, or you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please telephone 01752 305026 or e-mail your name, job title, company name and full address to [email protected].

How we did last year...

95% of employers are very happy with the quality of training their employees receive

97% of employers would recommend the College to another employer

90% of employers scored their satisfaction with the College in meeting their training needs as good or better

Employers recognised the training delivered by staff as high quality and staff showed good levels of up-to-date knowledge and practice in industry.

We encourage feedback from employers and you can do so in a number of ways either through the survey or via telephone, e-mail or face-to-face. Please contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail [email protected].

92% of employers scored their satisfaction with the College as good or better

125 YEARSWe are 125 years old! Look out for news on our exciting anniversary celebrations!

Complete our survey for the chance to win four places at our Christmas luncheon with special guest, Justin King CBE, former CEO of Sainsbury’s!

www.cityplym.ac.uk/employers EmployerLink14

Employerlink autumn 2014

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Transcript of Employerlink autumn 2014