Proskills secures £62 million training fund

IT has been announced this week that a share of a £62 million training fund is to be made available to extractives and mineral processing sector employers who sign up to Proskills’ ‘Sustainable Workforce Pledge’. The funding received the seal of approval from the Rt. Hon John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, at a launch in London on Wednesday 25 June 2008.

Speaking at the event, Mr Denham said: ‘The Government values the immense contribution the extractives and mineral processing industry makes to our national life, and is committed to working closely with the sector to help it attract, train and retain quality staff. This compact will ensure that employers have access to flexible, world-class training tailored to the specific needs of their business, delivered when and where they need it.’

In tandem with the funding, Proskills has developed the Sustainable Workforce Pledge. This was drawn up by the Proskills Extractives and Mineral Processing Industry Board, in recognition of the fact that while many of the larger companies already have programmes to train their staff to level 2, this training activity often goes unrecognized because it is not linked to formal qualifications.

Now, by signing the extractives industry’s Sustainable Workforce Pledge, companies will have the ability to be publicly recognized for their investment and commitment to training by stating that they have a sustainable workforce backed up by formal and informal training.

Terry Watts, chief executive officer of Proskills, said: ‘Extractives and mineral processing employers are already working well together and see this pledge as a way of really engaging all sizes of business and raising the bar for the whole industry, rather than just meeting an HR-related need.

‘The larger companies already have programmes to train everyone to level 2, so the pledge gives them the opportunity to get their involvement recognized. Given this investment, it is only right that the Government should be more flexible too.

‘As a whole, the industry believes it is already ahead of most sectors with regards to training. This pledge will provide further access to government funds, which will give more companies within the sector, in particular SMEs, a route into training.’

In return for signing the pledge, companies will gain access to a share of the £62 million training fund and a more flexible ‘Train to Gain’ offer, with the possibility of ‘second’ level 2 and 3 qualifications being part or fully funded.

Proskills says the extractives pledge acknowledges that many employers want to broaden their training to cover a wide range of job roles from basic-level skills to high-level skills, and will help pave the way for employers and the Government to ensure that appropriate training and development is available.

An analysis by Proskills of the total number of potential learners and associated qualification gaps shows that there are over 9,000 employees within the extractives and mineral processing industry who currently hold a full level 2 qualification, but who could potentially benefit from upskilling to NVQ level 3 or equivalent.

Roseanne Hayward, extractives and mineral processing industry champion at Proskills, said: ‘This is an opportunity for extractives and minerals processing employers to show publicly and demonstrably the importance they place on investing in the skills of their people. It is the first time the industry has ever made such a commitment.

‘Companies which sign up to this pledge are giving a commitment that they will draw up plans and take actions to provide their employees with these skills. In return, this £62 million extra training fund will be made available, via an enhanced ‘Train to Gain’ offer, for those who deliver against these commitments.

‘With the recognition for work training that has already been undertaken, and part-funding for training beyond NVQ level 2, there is a more flexible, consistent and needs-responsive funding offering across England, which means that the door is now open for many more thousands of employees who work within extractives – all their companies have to do is to walk through it.’

The Sustainable Workforce Pledge is part of a wider, phased, three-year programme, during which Proskills aims to deliver 165,000 qualifications/training interventions and maximize opportunities afforded through the pledge via various sector-specific activities, including: a Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) lean manufacturing programme; a Qualifications Development & Promotion programme; the ability to accredit/measure in-house training and acquired prior learning; and the delivery of ‘Profile’, an online skills diagnostic tool.

For more information about Proskills’ Sustainable Workforce Pledge tel: (01235) 432032.