Businesses in the Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough area to benefit from a £3.7m skills training fund

Posted On: Tuesday 6 August 2019

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Greater Cambridge & Greater Peterborough, are urged to take advantage of a £3.7 million skills training fund to upskill their workforce.

The training is delivered as part of the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) programme, which Serco’s Employment, Skills & Enterprise business is managing across Greater Cambridge & Greater Peterborough. Under the 28-month programme which launched in April, Serco will work in partnership with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Business Board (previously GCGP Local Enterprise Partnership) to provide skills development that focuses on upskilling employees in key priority sectors as identified in the Combined Authority’s various strategic programmes on the local economy and skills;

• Agriculture & Food
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Life Sciences
• Logistics
• IT & Digital
• Health & Social Care
• Construction

Through SSW, eligible businesses can benefit from funded training, tailored to their specific needs. Training is flexible and businesses can select full qualifications or mix and match individual units that are directly relevant to their work. Previous SSW programme participants have benefited from increased employee confidence, motivation and productivity and improved employee loyalty and retention.

Business participants will each benefit from a bespoke Training Needs Analysis that identifies requirements for upskilling or skills gaps in their workforce. Training for participant businesses could cover subjects such as IT and digital skills, leadership and management or more vocationally relevant courses.

The SSW programme covering Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough also offers support and training for individuals at risk of redundancy or those who have been made redundant within the last three months.

To deliver the programme, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, Serco has partnered with expert training organisations to offer local businesses recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses, aiming to enhance employees’ skills and increase the competitiveness of the businesses.

Businesses can contact Serco on skillssupport@serco.com or visit www.serco-ssw.com for more details and to find out if they are eligible for funded training through Skills Support for the Workforce.

> More information for businesses in Greater Cambridge & Greater Peterborough