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Merseytravel signs “Skills Pledge”
MERSEYTRAVEL,
Merseyside’s Passenger Transport Authority and Executive, has joined
more than 150 leading employers from across England to make a public
“Skills Pledge” to train all their staff. A major
public event held in London with government Ministers, including
Chancellor Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Education and
Skills Alan Johnson, heralded the fact that more than 1.7 million
private and public sector employees will be covered by the Skills
Pledge.
Merseytravel joined the select band of private and public sector
employers at an event hosted by the UK Skills Envoy, Sir Digby
Jones, to mark the official launch of the Skills Pledge and to
announce the Chair of a new UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, Neil Scales,
(pictured) was one of the first to make a public and voluntary
commitment to continue to support all the organisation’s employees
to develop basic skills, including numeracy and literacy, and work
towards relevant, valuable qualifications to at least Level 2 (the
equivalent of 5 GCSEs at A - C grade).
Neil said:- “We’re proud to make the Skills Pledge and we
pledge to continue to develop new ways of training our staff through
our pioneering training arm Merseylearn. As one of only nine
companies given Investor in People Champion status this year it is
important we also share our success and encourage other
organisations to look at ways to maximise the potential of their
staff. We recognise that involving employees and boosting
their skills through training we can encourage greater levels of
motivation and staff retention and offer better service to our
customers. We’ve signed this pledge to underline our continuing
commitment to investing in skills.”
The Leitch Review of Skills, published in December 2006, warned that
the UK must ‘raise its game’ on skills at all levels if it is
to sustain and improve its position in the global economy. The
Skills Pledge fulfils a key recommendation made in the review, at
the heart of a new ‘deal’ where employers will be able to
shape the skills system to meet their needs, in return for
prioritising skills training at all levels.
Speaking at the launch, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of
the Exchequer, said:- “It is a measure of the importance that
we attach to building our skills in this country that so many of our
country’s greatest companies are represented here. All of us
are partners in this exercise. I think it’s excellent that 150
companies have already signed up. This represents 1.7 million
employees already. We have the public and private sector working
together for a common purpose. I think it reflects this truth about
our country, that Britain works best when Britain works together,
and that there’s a partnership. It is enshrined in the partnership
that government has responsibilities, employers have
responsibilities and employees themselves have responsibilities and
this is the only way we can build skills for the future in this
country.”
Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, said:- “We very
much want to work with employers to make the pledge a success. When
we work in partnership, we know that we really can make things
happen out in the workplaces of Britain. Take First Bus, which has
saved almost £3 million in recruitment costs since it set up a
workplace-learning project with their unions. Or Merseytravel where
joint work on skills has seen a 3% reduction in sick leave, and a 4%
drop in staff turnover.”
Sir Digby Jones, UK Skills Envoy, said:- “I warmly
congratulate all employers who have led the way by making the Skills
Pledge today. By taking this step, you are showing other employers
that, by investing in the skills of your people, you are investing
in your business."
Merseytravel – Investors in People “Champions”
Merseytravel was 1 of only 9 UK organisations to be awarded
Investors in People (IiP) Champion status in 2006.
The Investors in People Champions programme recognises leading
employers through the country who are boosting the performance of
their organisation through the way they manage and develop their
employees.
It is now for Merseytravel’s, through its training
and development arm Merseylearn, to work alongside Investors in
People UK to share the organisation’s expertise with other employers
through a variety of means including mentoring and visits.
For more information on the Skills Pledge, visit
www.traintogain.gov.uk. |
Liverpool entrepreneur puts US enterprise studies into practice
YEAR long
enterprise programme helps to lay foundations for new high impact
business. Local entrepreneur Luke Walsh, 24, from Liverpool,
returned this week from the United States as he completes his year
long entrepreneurial scholarship programme. The prestigious scheme
is designed to help top English students and postgraduate
entrepreneurs that have excelled in engineering, science and
technology advance their business ideas and further their enterprise
skills. The Fellows Programme is run by the government funded
National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) and supported
by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a leading US organisation
that advances entrepreneurship.
During the 12 months of the Fellows Programme, which began last
July, Luke has undertaken intensive training both in England and the
US. During this time Luke Walsh teamed up with one of the other
scholars, Luke Jefferson, together devising an innovative business
concept to revolutionize internet advertising.
The intense training programme combines both theoretical and
practical learning. In the first six months this included induction
and preparation sessions covering enterprise and business skills
such as Intellectual Property, Marketing and Finance. In January
Luke headed to the US for coaching at the Ewing Marion Foundation
from scholars and experts of entrepreneurship. He then attended
Harvard and Stanford for study visits and covered business subjects
including teaching from Aaron Alter, partner of 'Wilson Sonsini
Goodricke and Rosati' law firm and meeting venture capitalists
including Steve Jurvetson of 'Draper Fisher Jurvetson' and Steven
Burill of 'Burill Co'. Finally he undertook an internship at Black
and Veatch, a global engineering, consulting and construction
company and Netchemia, a web technology start up which develops web
software for schools. At Netchemia he worked in the sales department
and automated parts of the sales processes saving the salesman hours
a week in writing proposals to prospects.
As a result of the Fellows Programme Luke has developed significant
business contacts, in-depth knowledge of his sector and a breadth of
essential business skills such as marketing and finance know-how.
From participating in the scheme his business is now at a stage
where he and Luke Jefferson will team up to turn their ideas into a
business and on his return to the UK, Luke will be looking to find
advertisers for the new internet platform.
Luke, commenting on the year long training programme, said:-
“The Fellowship has helped me first evaluate what I want to do with
my life, consequently evaluate what goals I want to set for my
business, and helped shaped my business concept. The value of the
programme is immeasurable – it has not only given me the tools to go
out and achieve my business goals, it’s given me a huge amount of
confidence as well.”
Ian Robertson, Chief Executive of the NCGE commenting on Luke:-
“Luke has really used the Fellows programme to his advantage to
develop his business idea and build up a great base of contacts.
Entrepreneurship is the integral to the country’s economy and we
need more entrepreneurs who have the same determination and
enthusiasm to make their business ideas a success.”
EX-SMOKERS COULD WIN £10,000 OF HOLIDAY VOUCHERS!
PLEDGE to quit
smoking with a friend, and you’ll both be in with a chance of
winning a share of £10,000 of holiday vouchers in the Smoke Free UK
QUIT® Awards 2007 sponsored by NiQuitin. Call Quitline® 0800 002200
to enter.
From 1st July 2007 Smokefree Legislation will be in force in
England, so now’s the perfect time to quit smoking and what better
way to celebrate than by winning holiday vouchers worth a total of
£10,000? You and your friend could share a 1st prize of £6,000 of
holiday vouchers;
2nd prize £3,000 of holiday vouchers; or 3rd prize
£1,000 of holiday vouchers.
The QUIT Awards are run by QUIT,
the charity that helps smokers to stop and sponsored by NiQuitin,
which offers a range of products to help people quit.
Chief Executive of QUIT Steve Crone said:- “Quitting smoking
is the single most important thing a smoker can do to improve their
health. We are looking for inspiring stories that will encourage
other smokers to stop.”
NiQuitin Brand Manager Sandra Romanic said:- “There has never
been more support available to smokers who want to quit. Hopefully
the NiQuitin Smoke Free UK Quit Awards, sponsored by NiQuitin, will
provide a brilliant incentive for smokers to try.”
To be eligible to win you must have quit smoking with a friend and
both still be quit by 30 September.
If you have already quit with a
friend then don’t despair, as you’re also eligible to enter as long
as you’re both still smoke free by September.
To register for
the 2007 Awards, or for more information, ring Quitline 0800 00 22
00 or apply online at
www.quit.org.uk Closing date 31
July 2007.
Full details and rules are available online. |
