Saints Academy players tackle an Apprenticeship

The St Helens RLFC Academy players are no strangers to hard work on the pitch but their latest success has been their commitment to learning off the field. Ten players from the saints under 18’s team have successfully completed a new Advanced Apprenticeship programme in Sporting Excellence. The players worked towards an NVQ 3 in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance through Saints Rugby Club in conjunction with St Helens College, while studying for their A levels at a local sixth form college to achieve the qualification framework.

The players have studied 8 units during the two year programme including the technical, tactical, mental and physical approach to the game as well as lifestyle and management modules.

Victoria Roberts, Head of Department for Health, Sports and Public Services at St Helens College added “St Helens College are proud to support local community initiatives in the town and support St Helens RLFC by providing learning and development opportunities for their young players. This is the first time that this apprenticeship programme has been delivered at the club and the 100% pass rate on the advanced NVQ is an indication of the success of the training and the commitment shown by the players involved.”

Networked for Success at St Helens College

Photograph courtesy of Pete WelsbySt Helens College was the latest venue to host a Junction 7 networking event for businesses. The Junction 7 "Networked for Success" is a networking group whose aim is to promote and support businesses who can be brought together via Junction 7 of the M62.

The event was held in Colours Restaurant at the Town Centre Campus and was a huge success. 60 representatives from businesses attending the event, making it one of the largest employer networking evenings held in the borough. The event provided a friendly and informal environment for employers to promote their business whilst developing relationships with likeminded individuals.

Photograph courtesy of Pete Welsby Antonio Mateus, Manager of Colours Restaurant said "It was a great night and we were really pleased to host the event as it provides an opportunity to showcase the restaurant and the service we can offer to the local business community."

The Junction 7 networking group are keen to provide networking help and advice to help your business to grow and continuously organise networking events throughout the region. The group meet on a monthly basis and there is no membership fee, you just pay for the networking event you attend. To find out about future networking events, visit www.junction7network.co.uk

UKCES Employer Prospectus

On 7^th February the Employer Ownership pilot prospectus was launched. It offers all employers in England direct access to up to £250 million of public investment over the next two years to design and deliver their own training solutions. The pilot is jointly overseen by UKCES, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education. The following pages explain what the pilot is, how to apply to access pilot funds and who to contact for further information.  You can View a PDF version of the prospectus (PDF, 544 Kb)  or Read the prospectus online. Application forms and detailed guidance for the pilot will be issued before the end of February.

Apprentice Builds a Better Future

Apprenticeships are important to the future of industry and St Helens College student Jubayer Ahmed is an example of how an apprentice can be good for a business.

Apprenticeships are the Future of your Business - Breakfast Event

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, St Helens College held a Business Breakfast event – Apprenticeships are the Future of Your Business.

National Apprenticeship Week 6th – 10th February

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, St Helens College has various activities and events taking place to promote the importance of apprenticeship programmes and highlight how employing an apprentice can benefit your business.

Click here for more information on Apprenticeship Week Events

Website to Support Businesses

www.peterdone.com

Peter Done writes weekly for the Sunday Times and has an excellent website to support businesses.

Bringing real benefits to your business - Get with Apprenticeships!

On 16th November 2011, the government announced a new incentive to encourage thousands of small firms that don’t currently employ apprentices to take on a young apprentice aged 16 to 24. This will support up to 40,000 new Apprenticeships.

The incentive is for employers with up to 50 (and in some cases up to 250) employees and comprises a payment of £1,500 payable in two stages. It will be available to small firms in all industries and for Apprenticeships at all levels from April 2012. to find out more about the incentive click here

Success Stories

Dave Woods has been employed as a fully qualified Instructor A1 Assessor in Manufacturing and Engineering at St Helens College since 2007 and combines his industry expertise with his academic qualifications to deliver training solutions that will improve your company's business performance.

Dave has a strong background in the manufacturing and engineering industry, working for Pilkington Automotive for 39 years. He has developed a wealth of industry knowledge and experience (10 years in production of lean manufacturing and 29 years in mechanical maintenance) and is able to draw on this experience when delivering training solutions to local and regional organisations.

St Helens College has provided training solutions to an increasing number of North West employers, providing Dave with the opportunity to work with a wide range of companies including Jaguar / Land Rover, Heinz, Pilkington's and Burton Biscuits.

Dave says:
"St Helens College has developed strong links with regional employers and I have been able to deliver a wide range of qualifications and training solutions that have had a positive impact on a company's performance. We offer a service that enables us to design courses that are unique to the employer, ensuring that the training we provide meets their requirements."

Dave is continuously visiting employers in the region, from delivering Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) courses at Jaguar / Land Rover to providing lean manufacturing courses at Pilkington's. If you would like more information about training solutions available at St Helens College, please contact The Business Unit on 01744 623342 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

St Helens College has joined the drive to promote excellence in social care and raise the ambitions of the workforce by becoming one of the 100 founder members to sign up to the National Skills Academy's new membership programme.

The endorsement framework for education and training organisations in adult social care has been designed to endorse excellent training providers and learning programmes that are underpinned by the values of excellent social care. The new framework will ensure excellent care results from excellent training.

Pat Pearson, Head of Workforce Development at St Helens College says "We are delighted to have gained Academy recognition. It signifies a real achievement, highlighting the college's dedication to maintaining high levels of training standards in the Social Care sector."