Leading award-winning training provider Acorn Learning and Development has won a key contract to start delivering funded apprenticeship programmes in England.
As an experienced training provider – in addition to its extensive recruitment portfolio – Acorn already delivers commercial and IT training in England and will now be able to also offer apprenticeships in these areas.
The new contract win means Acorn – a training specialist for more than 12 years – can deliver training and advise on funding support to organisations in England, which in turn could lead to attracting 100% funding for employers – subject to the programmes selected.
Named Apprenticeship Provider of the Year at the 2011 Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, Acorn will initially concentrate on the South West, including Gloucestershire and Bristol, where it already has a presence through its longstanding recruitment activity.
Leading to nationally-recognised qualifications which can support both individuals and businesses as a whole, apprenticeships are available to both existing workforces as well as new starters, with programmes currently offered by Acorn in the career paths of leadership and management, team leading, customer service, general insurance, banking and retail.
The apprenticeship programme has already proven to be very effective for one Bristol-headquartered company. In 2008, with the help of Acorn, Bristol-based legal expenses and insurance company DAS introduced an apprenticeship programme at its motor claims centre in South Wales giving staff the opportunity to complete apprenticeships in areas such as Customer Service and Learning & Development, together with Foundation and Advanced Apprenticeships in Retail Financial Services (general insurance).
DAS Operational Learning & Development Trainer, Ryan Williams, said: “The results have been fantastic. We are very proud of the apprenticeship programme and can boast that we now have over 90 per cent of our customer-facing staff either qualified, or studying towards their Certificate in Insurance.
“As a result, the apprenticeships are now built into our training plan and are offered to all new staff upon joining the company. We actively encourage all new starters to take up the apprenticeship and it is viewed as a ‘must have’ for any of our customer-facing staff.”
Acorn’s Learning & Development Director Helena Williams said: “Apprenticeships give businesses a comprehensive but flexible training framework leading to nationally recognised qualifications – training and development is vital to businesses of all sizes to survive and thrive in today’s economic climate.
“Our programme for England is unique as it includes more of a diagnostic approach – providing clients with free assessments of all their training needs and ensuring they are aware of any funding available to them.”
Providing training to more than 1,000 individuals each month across the UK, Acorn works with businesses of all sizes from independent traders through to leading blue chip firms. Clients include Principality, Zurich and Scottish & Southern.
