The Local Response Fund is funded by the European Social Fund and provides fully funded training to employers and employees with low skills in London based SMEs. The following projects will be delivered London wide:
Digital Media
Westminster Kingsway College
Westminster Kingsway College are offering training in the creative and digital media sector for SME employers and employees through a programme of seminars, tutorials and networking events. The project aims to enable participants to compete for jobs in the UK’s creative sector; the largest in the EU, and support and grow businesses. The programme includes a mix of flexible, professional and technical skills training, alongside information and guidance sessions. For more information regarding this project call Perry.paraskeva@westking.ac.uk
Apprenticeship Vacancies
Merton Chamber of Commerce
The Merton Chamber of Commerce is leading a series of business-led sessions to improve collaboration between SMEs and education and training. The project aims to support SMEs to participate in the apprenticeship programmes by encouraging employers to recruit and retain staff through the apprenticeship pathway and by increasing apprenticeship take ups by employees. For more information regarding this project email info@mertonchamber.co.uk.
Higher Apprenticeships
National Skills Academy Retail & People 1st
Working in the Visitor and Tourism sectors to encourage the take-up of Higher Apprenticeships, NSA Retail and People 1st are leading this project to map short courses, currently on offer through People 1st, to the Higher Apprenticeships framework in Retail. The project will also create a more highly-skilled team of assessors and pilot the Higher Apprenticeship Retail Units with London-based SMEs. For more information regarding this project contact the national Skills Academy for Retail on 020 3074 1212.
East London Small Business Shop
Newham College London
Newham College London launched The Business Lab in east London’s Stratford Centre in January 2015. This project offers a ‘high street’ facility for London-based SMEs to access skills support for themselves and their employees and benefit from business facilities, advice, coaching and networking to help them build their business successfully. For more information regarding this project call Yvonne Taylor on 020 8522 5700 or email Yvonne.taylor@newham.ac.uk.
Health & Social Care
Newham College London
Newham College are leading the way on this project alongside Skills for Care and a number of London Capital College’s. This pan-London project supports SMEs in the Care Sector providing a range of accredited training and support to businesses and their employees to help them to prepare for the new reforms under the Care Act and to promote high quality care through skills development. For more information regarding this project call Beverly Cook on 020 8522 5748 or email Beverly.Cook@newham.ac.uk.
Hospitality
Lambeth College
A project to support SMEs and employees in the hospitality sector by raising awareness of career options in hospitality and how staff and employers can reduce staff turnover and increase profitability of business through staff training. This will be delivered through a range of events, seminars and training courses including team leading and management, how to increase sales and customers, post-employment business support and training and more. For more information regarding this project call Go2Work at Lambeth College on 0800 0542 410 or email go2work@lambethcollege.ac.uk.
South London SMEs
South Thames College
The project aims to improve and educate South London SMEs about effective management, marketing and employee training and the benefits of these to businesses. This is delivered through a range of events, seminars and training on human resources, social media marketing, policies and procedures, understanding contracts, raising awareness of apprenticeships recruitments and its benefits and contribution to business grown, tailored intensive coaching, mentoring and one to one support. For more information regarding this project call Matt Amos on 020 8918 7729 or email matthew.amos@south-thames.ac.uk.
Renewable Technologies
Newham College London
For SMEs in construction and property management to participate in carbon reduction. Trained staff in renewable technology skills can hugely benefit businesses. This project provides business support workshops, seminars and information, advice and guidance regarding energy efficiency and training on specific technologies that are environmentally friendly together with managerial training and how to keep up to date with change. For more information regarding this project call Carlene Fenton on 020 8522 5724 or email carlene.fenton@newham.ac.uk.
Construction Ready Environmental Awareness Course Tutor Slides July 2015
City & Islington SMEs
Skills and commitment of organisational employees is perceived as a significant factor in the chances of organisational success. City and Islington College is providing workshop, business engagement and training to employers and employees with a view to developing business skills and support business growth and sustainability of SMEs in the borough of City and Islington. Training will focus on developing technical, practical and job specific skills such as development management competencies and cost control. Detailed research will also be conducted into increasing job opportunities by identifying and addressing barriers to growth and job opportunities. For more information regarding this project call Nadeem Khalifa on 0800 980 8434 or email professional@candi.ac.uk.
Construction
Lambeth College
The focus of this project, led by Lambeth College, is on supporting Construction SMEs to engage with significant developments in the South London area. It will focus on up-skilling, skills shortages and supervisory management issues.