CHAPTER 3

1. Skills for the knowledge-based economy

2. The national framework

3. Supporting learning businesses

4. Helping small firms to learn

5. Investors in People

6. Better information

7. Developing skills

8. Support for skills

9. Priorities for early action

10. On-line consultation

Workplace partnership in action..... As a result of the TUC's Bargaining for Skills programme, supported by CEWTEC (the TEC for East Cheshire and the Wirral), the food company Horizon Biscuits agreed with the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) to introduce a food processing NVQ and set up a learning centre on site. Already nearly one third of staff have enrolled on time study learning programmes and 100 candidates have volunteered for NVQs. "It has been a real success story for both the union and the company. We have been helped enormously by TUC Bargaining for Skills which not only helped us identify what we wanted, but also brought us together with the college and the TEC, without whom the learning centre would not have been possible." Richie James - TGWU Convenor "The Bargaining for Skills programme has been a vital first step in the conversion of the company's culture so that we recognise the need for personal skills development programmes to be linked to the company's business development plan." Don Helsby - Manufacturing Services Manager. Another example is UNISON's Return to Learn programme which has been running since 1989. It offers educational opportunities to union members who missed out in the education system. Return to Learn is provided through the union's Open College which adopts a 'passport' approach to learning, giving all members access to flexible learning at the appropriate level. The union has also developed a Return to Learn Partnership where employers commit themselves to working with the union to improve education and training. By 1996 around 3,000 students had completed Return to Learn courses. The Return to Learn programme also provides a stepping stone into higher education. Students gain admission to university either through an accumulation of Return to Learn credits or via a one year union access course. As part of this programme UNISON has developed special links with the University of Warwick and the University of East London.

Small firms and the learning habit... J and K Ross is a small family firm in Warrington supplying safety equipment. It introduced a new training programme - involving workshops, individual tutorials, indoor and outdoor group exercises, and personal training logs - after a company health check showed they needed to invest in their employees' skills. Profits rose by 40 per cent and turnover by 20 per cent while customer complaints fell by 24 per cent. The company won a National Training Award. Sales director, Chris Ross, said: "We have always been an organisation that prided itself on offering the best possible service within a family business ethos. But we also wanted to grow and still maintain our original standards. The training approach we have adopted has allowed us to achieve just that."

IiP and improved business performance...... Auto Flow Services Ltd - which provides warehousing and stock management for the automotive industry - is an Investor in People and a 1997 National Training Award winner. By investing in its workforce it has increased turnover by 37 per cent, doubled its profits and reduced customer complaints to 0.06 per cent. It now employs over 80 staff. Brian Seal, Quality and Training Manager, says "We now have a multi-skilled workforce willing and keen to develop further."