Gary Streeter visits Skin Deep Hair

Gary Streeter, MP for South West Devon, spent some time going ‘back to the floor’ at a hair salon in Plympton as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

Skin Deep Hair played host to the MP as he spent time with hairdressing apprentices Amy Metters, Kayley Page, Chloe Le-fort and Anna Tarczanyn, learning about apprenticeships and how apprentices train in the workplace. The apprentices are all attached to Academy of Training, where they spend one day per week on classroom-based learning, and the rest of the week at the salon, learning practical skills.

Nicola Polson, the owner of the salon, said: “Mr Streeter actually opened the salon 24 years ago and is a regular client, so we were delighted to give him an insight into ‘a day in the life of an apprentice’ during National Apprenticeship Week. We have been training apprentices since we opened and like to give them the opportunity to be hands-on right from the beginning. Apprentices are a vital and very rewarding part of our business.”

Sharon Chaffe, operations director for Academy, said: “National Apprenticeship Week really highlights the value of apprentices. They are hard-working and achieve an amazing amount in a short space of time. Our customer service apprentice at Skin Deep Hair, Diane Heat, has also just been nominated for ‘Adult learner of the year’.”

National Apprenticeship Week (1 Feb to 5 Feb 2010) was organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices, with national and regional activities taking place each day.

Photo: Gary Streeter MP with Skin Deep Hair client Mrs Weston, and Academy apprentices(from left to right) Amy Metters, Chloe Le-fort, Kayley Page and Anna Tarczanyn

Chris Jeffery elected to ALP board

Chris Jeffery, managing director of Academy of Training, has been elected to the board of the Association of Learning Providers (ALP).

The Association is recognised as the voice of independent learning providers throughout England. ALP’s members deliver most of the Apprenticeship training and the majority of Train to Gain provision in England. Membership is open to any training provider committed to quality work-based learning (WBL) and includes over 60 Further Education colleges.

Chris, who is also on the council of LSIS (Learning and Skills Improvement Service) is one of four new directors of ALP and was elected from a field of eleven candidates.

“It’s a great honour to be elected to the ALP board,” Chris said. “Increasing the skills of the nation’s workforce is a priority for all the political parties, and ALP works closely with policy makers to help influence government strategy.
“At Academy we are committed to helping young people onto the employment ladder, and I will make sure that government is aware of the particular challenges that young people face in this part of the country.”

Virtual Learning Environment launched

We have just launched a virtual learning environment (VLE) for our learners and we are one of only a few independent training providers in the country offering both e-portfolios and VLE support.

The e-portfolios and VLE allow learners to work through their programme at their own pace, and at a time and place which is convenient for them. E-portfolios already allow learners to build up a paperless portfolio, complete assessments and e-mail their work to trained assessors, and now the VLE complements the system by providing online support 24/7. VLE support is available for national vocational qualifications (NVQs) in child care, hairdressing, health and social care, literacy, numeracy and administration, and support for other courses will soon follow. Learners are also still able to contact trainers for additional support via email.

We are asking apprentices to make use of the new facilities as they are developed and give us feedback on the content of the site so that we can improve it to meet their requirements.

Chris Jeffery, managing director of Academy of Training, said: “We know that learners value the personal touch provided by staff and the VLE will not change this. However the VLE provides very valuable background support allowing a flexible approach to learning.”

Academy has also just been accepted as a participating provider in Phase 2 of the Technology Exemplar Network, which helps training providers improve their use of IT to benefit learners and employers by sharing their e-knowledge and experience.

AGE 16 and 17 grant scheme

As an NAS approved training provider, Academy of Training can help employers recruit a suitable apprentice for the new AGE 16 and 17 grant scheme and deliver a wide range of training programmes.

The employment white paper ‘Building Britain's Recovery’ recently announced that employers will receive apprenticeship grants of £2,500 when they take on unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds. The grants will only be available until the end of March 2010 and are in addition to training costs, which are already met by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).

The NAS particularly wants to encourage small and medium-sized employers to take on an apprentice, whether they are employing an additional apprentice or are interested in employing an apprentice for the first time. Larger employers can also apply for the grant if they can show they are increasing their level of apprentice recruitment or employing an additional apprentice to support smaller employers in their supply chain.

Employers will receive the grant in two payments - £1,000 when the young person starts the apprenticeship and a further £1,500 after three months. The payments will be administered by the NAS through its approved training-provider network.

For more information about AGE 16 and 17 grants visit the Apprenticeships website at www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Partners/AGE-16and17.aspx

Hair and Beauty meeting at Habia

Chris Jeffery, managing director of Academy of Training, has just chaired the second Hair & Beauty meeting for the Association of Learning Providers (ALP), as the Skills Champion for the Hair & Beauty sector, on 27 January. The meeting was hosted by Habia at their HQ in Yorkshire (Habia is the standard-setting body for the Hair and Beauty sector).

The Hair and Beauty Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting included important updates on the new qualifications and apprenticeships frameworks, sector Train to Gain and funding issues, as well as open forum discussions on operational matters. Helen Gorner, employer services director for the Yorkshire & Humber National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) also provided information on Hair and Beauty participation and success rates across England as well as new services and initiatives for 2010.

Mrs Jeffery said: “Following the successful first Hair & Beauty Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting held at the Wella World Studio in London, during October, I was delighted that Habia was able to host the second gathering of Hair and Beauty providers and update members on the key strategic and operational developments that are important to our engagement with learners and employers in 2010. The meeting was very successful and provided a good opportunity for members to discuss and share experiences on key matters of delivery and operation.”

Hairdressing was the first established NVQ and Mrs Jeffery was one of the first external verifiers for hairdressing in the country. During her long association with hairdressing and learning provision she has seen many changes and is now enjoying her role as chair and the opportunities to improve communication for all providers.

Water Jetting skills put under pressure

Yelverton-based Glanville Cleansing have splashed ahead of their competitors as 13 employees, including some of their senior staff, were presented with NVQ certificates in Water Jetting.
The certificates enable staff to apply for individual CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) Skilled Operative Cards.

Ian Davis, Business Development Manager at Glanville Cleansing said: “We train staff to use our dirty water recycling unit so we can tackle any waste management or environmental problem.

“Water jetting uses retro-pressure which jets water backward. Water is self-propelled at pressures of up to 10,000 pounds per square inch and this process is used to clear drains and blockages, or cut roots and intrusions out of pipes. The process is very powerful yet gentle on the pipes, and with adequate training is quite safe.”

‘Water Jetting for Drain Cleaning’ is a site-based NVQ level 2 training programme delivered by Academy of Training in partnership with Matrix Vocational Associated of Bristol and these certificates are the first Water Jetting NVQ certificates issued by Academy of Training.

Andy Parkin, operations director for Academy of Training said: “The students worked very hard and deserve to be praised for this achievement. This training programme rigorously assesses their skills and ensures they can work safely in compliance with national standards and codes of conduct.”

Photo:front row left to right: Adam Dixon, Martin Pearse, Mark Stevens, Dean Wakefield, Chris Holmes
back row left to right: Peter Ayres, Stephen Allen, Paul Sheasby, Chris Anderson, Jeff Wakeham, Steve Andrew (Transport Manager), Andy Parkin of Academy of Training, David Glanville (Managing Director)