Train To Gain With EPIC
How to get your share of £1 billion for training
As an employer you should already recognize that relevant and focused training to ensure you have a fully competent workforce is essential to maintaining a viable business and competitive advantage for your company. The Government anticipates that by 2010–11, the funding it makes available to employers in England through its flagship funding programme ‘Train to Gain’, will have reached around £1 billion. There are three key questions that that employers should consider in relation to Train to Gain.
The first question is: How easy is it for a company to access the funding? The answer is, surprisingly, very easy.
Of course, being a government-funded programme there are complex rules (which change frequently), specific criteria (which change even more frequently) and a whole host of jargon. However, the good news is that employers do not need to know about any of this. This will be dealt with by their training provider.
EPIC Training and Consulting Services Ltd (EPIC) is the only Learning and Skills Council (LSC)-approved training provider that works exclusively with employers from the extractive and mineral processing industries. EPIC offers general advice to employers on Train to Gain and their eligibility for funding, delivers funded training directly for employers, and works in partnership with the employers’ existing training providers to allow training to be funded. EPIC also deals with the vast majority of the bureaucracy and technicalities associated with Train to Gain on behalf of employers and makes sure that they are able to focus on ensuring they have a well-trained workforce.
There are two other organizations involved in providing Train to Gain support to employers:
Train to Gain is currently designed mainly to support the delivery of NVQs at levels 2 and 3. The funding level for NVQ Level 2 is normally £900, but this can be increased to £1,800 where 20h of Guided Learning2 is delivered in the workplace. At NVQ Level 3 the funding level from the LSC is around £2,000, plus a mandatory contribution from the employer of around £700. The same funding for NVQ Level 4 may also be available. While these funding levels will not meet the full cost of most NVQs, they do meet a significant contribution to the overall cost of an NVQ. Commenting on Train to Gain, David Sharman, corporate services director with Hanson Aggregates UK, said: ‘Our industries invest heavily in training and Train to Gain offers the first substantial government financial support to help the industries deliver on their commitment to maintaining a well-trained and competent workforce. All companies within our industries, whatever their size, should, at the very least, seriously consider Train to Gain as an option.’
The third and final question is: Are there any disadvantages or other things an employer needs to know? The answer is yes, there are a few things employers need to consider, for example:
Martin Cox, who leads the EPIC Train to Gain team, commented: ‘EPIC holds a unique position within our industries because of its history, experience and the involvement of its members to assist all employers in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Train to Gain. As the only LSC-approved training provider that works exclusively in the extractive and mineral processing industries, we want to work directly with employers to deliver Train to Gain-funded training and, in partnership with employers and other training providers, to spread the benefits of Train to Gain across our industries.’
For further information, contact Martin Cox at the EPIC Train to Gain team on tel: (07730) 315080; or email: martincox.epic@btinternet.com
Footnotes
As an employer you should already recognize that relevant and focused training to ensure you have a fully competent workforce is essential to maintaining a viable business and competitive advantage for your company. The Government anticipates that by 2010–11, the funding it makes available to employers in England through its flagship funding programme ‘Train to Gain’, will have reached around £1 billion. There are three key questions that that employers should consider in relation to Train to Gain.
The first question is: How easy is it for a company to access the funding? The answer is, surprisingly, very easy.
Of course, being a government-funded programme there are complex rules (which change frequently), specific criteria (which change even more frequently) and a whole host of jargon. However, the good news is that employers do not need to know about any of this. This will be dealt with by their training provider.
EPIC Training and Consulting Services Ltd (EPIC) is the only Learning and Skills Council (LSC)-approved training provider that works exclusively with employers from the extractive and mineral processing industries. EPIC offers general advice to employers on Train to Gain and their eligibility for funding, delivers funded training directly for employers, and works in partnership with the employers’ existing training providers to allow training to be funded. EPIC also deals with the vast majority of the bureaucracy and technicalities associated with Train to Gain on behalf of employers and makes sure that they are able to focus on ensuring they have a well-trained workforce.
There are two other organizations involved in providing Train to Gain support to employers:
- The LSC is the body that actually makes payments for Train to Gain across England. The LSC does not deliver training directly but will put the employer in touch with a skills broker1, who will look with the employer at their eligibility for funding and find an LSC-approved training provider able to work with the employer to deliver Train to Gain-funded training.
- Proskills is the Sector Skills Council that covers the processing and manufacturing sector, including the extractive and mineral processing industries. Like the LSC, Proskills does not provide training directly, nor does it directly provide funding, but it will provide employers with advice on Train to Gain, including eligibility, and find an approved training provider to deliver funded training.
Train to Gain is currently designed mainly to support the delivery of NVQs at levels 2 and 3. The funding level for NVQ Level 2 is normally £900, but this can be increased to £1,800 where 20h of Guided Learning2 is delivered in the workplace. At NVQ Level 3 the funding level from the LSC is around £2,000, plus a mandatory contribution from the employer of around £700. The same funding for NVQ Level 4 may also be available. While these funding levels will not meet the full cost of most NVQs, they do meet a significant contribution to the overall cost of an NVQ. Commenting on Train to Gain, David Sharman, corporate services director with Hanson Aggregates UK, said: ‘Our industries invest heavily in training and Train to Gain offers the first substantial government financial support to help the industries deliver on their commitment to maintaining a well-trained and competent workforce. All companies within our industries, whatever their size, should, at the very least, seriously consider Train to Gain as an option.’
The third and final question is: Are there any disadvantages or other things an employer needs to know? The answer is yes, there are a few things employers need to consider, for example:
- The funding available for Train to Gain has to cover not only the cost of delivering NVQs, but also additional LSC requirements linked to the funding and administrative costs for the training provider. Train to Gain funding is much more cost-effective for groups of employees rather than individual employees.
- Funding is targeted at achievement of NVQs and funding levels are substantially reduced for employees who do not achieve their NVQ or achieve them late.
- Funding through Train to Gain is only available in England. There are different funding arrangements for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Employers are required to participate in a number of activities, such as analysing their company’s training needs and reviewing the progress of employees on a quarterly basis, with their training provider.
- Employers may be involved in LSC and Ofsted audits, and will have to provide company information to their training provider, such as health and safety risk assessments.
- An employer’s existing training provider can still deliver NVQs if partnered with an LSC-approved training provider, such as EPIC.
Martin Cox, who leads the EPIC Train to Gain team, commented: ‘EPIC holds a unique position within our industries because of its history, experience and the involvement of its members to assist all employers in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Train to Gain. As the only LSC-approved training provider that works exclusively in the extractive and mineral processing industries, we want to work directly with employers to deliver Train to Gain-funded training and, in partnership with employers and other training providers, to spread the benefits of Train to Gain across our industries.’
For further information, contact Martin Cox at the EPIC Train to Gain team on tel: (07730) 315080; or email: martincox.epic@btinternet.com
Footnotes
- Skills brokers: an independent service, funded by the LSC, that assesses employers’ skills needs and other development needs. Skills brokers link employers with LSC-approved training providers who can deliver industry-specific NVQs.
- Guided learning: training that takes place during working hours and which contributes to the NVQ. It should be noted that most health and safety training is excluded. EPIC can provide advice and appropriate training.