"Training is best for business" - Birkwood Training Plant

Wakefield-based Birkwood Plant Training is seeing the positive impacts of training delivered as part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Skills Connect funded training.

Birkwood Plant has been able to provide opportunities for individuals to upskill their qualifications, such as self-employed labourer Bryn Clark. Bryn attended the Skills Bootcamp in Telehandler a/w Suspended Loads Novice Training course and has since gone on to increased wages and longer contract security.

Skills Connect courses offer training courses funded by Gainshare, and Skills Bootcamps funded by the Department for Education, all with the aim of supporting career progression. These are part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Futuregoals programme.

Importantly, courses delivered through Skills Connect benefit businesses.

Noble Homes, a Castleford based Homebuilding company prioritise working with teams that have up to date, essential qualifications. This is to guarantee best practice and the best product when constructing and delivering their homes. Working closely with Birkwood Training Plant their preferred course to keep best practice is the industry accredited Site Safety Plus Suite.

Finding out about Skills Connect through the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), nine employees since July 2022 have completed courses under the Site Safety Plus Suite (SSSTS and SMSTS).

Noble Homes have said that the funded training has had an incredibly positive impact, increased employer confidence and enabling individuals to be comfortable with taking on additional responsibilities.

Some supervisors who can demonstrate their site knowledge through the SSSTS qualification are now able to take control of some site operations. This also benefits an individual's job security and career progression.

Furthermore, increased productivity through more qualified supervisory staff has been noticed and efficiencies have been able to be made in all areas.

Skills Connect courses are proving to be beneficial to both individuals and businesses, and more courses are being launched month by month.

Find out more about Skills Connect courses on offer from West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges:

https://courses.westyorkshirecolleges.co.uk/?sfid=...