Free sport award certificate

** the enabling body for a [pounds sterling] 1 million, three-year South Yorkshire Rural Skills Project. The project takes a strategic look at skills gaps and skills needs in the area, including diversification opportunities. Its aims are to raise the demand for training and to fund skills development for agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Lantra is championing other rural and regeneration skills projects throughout the UK, working with government, funding agencies and strategic partners. Lantra is also involved in the consultation process for the Review of Education and Research and Development in agriculture and food science in Northern Ireland.

Recognising excellence

Lantra Awards, the awarding body that specialises in training and qualifications for the environmental and land-based sector, has developed a brand new qualification that recognises the learning and skills of people who manage volunteers. The Advanced Certificate in Volunteer Management is available nationally from this month (March 2003).

"The qualification has made me more confident and self-aware, and im proved my evaluation skills."

BTCV pilot candidate Andreo Mbarushimana

Involving SMEs

The productivity of 400 SMEs and micro-businesses across Wales will be improved through a targeted training programme supported by Education and Learning Wales (ELWa) and the European Social Fund. By identifying training needs linked to business drivers, this project will help SMEs target their training requirements and focus on the necessary skills for business.

THE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES INDUSTRIES

"Only by having people trained and developed to continually innovate and improve performance, can a business become world class and compete on the global stage."

Margaret Gildea, Director of Human Resources - Operations, Rolls-Royce plc

Attracting young women to engineering

SEMTA's Insight initiative gives 16-18 year old girls the chance to discover life at University, spending a week staying in student accommodation exploring the world of technology through the eyes of successful women engineers from the worlds of aerospace, bio-medical engineering, naval architecture, renewable energy, metallurgy, chemical engineering, and design to name just a few. Many of the course leaders did Insight themselves, and now spend time with students to alter incorrect perceptions about engineering and to show them how far women really can go in the industry.

Fast-tracking institutional membership

Together with the Institution of Incorporated Engineers, SEMTA has developed an initiative to enable graduates from accredited Advanced Modem Apprenticeship schemes to be fast tracked into full Members of the Institution and registered as Engineering Technicians with the Engineering Council (UK). This scheme is an exciting way to ensure that new entrants to the science, engineering and manufacturing technologies sector develop a culture of continuous improvement and lifelong learning, ensuring that the UK's skills base is kept absolutely up to date,

THE APPAREL, FOOTWEAR AND TEXTILE INDUSTRIES

Providing business support

With the support of Advantage West Midlands, Skillfast-UK has been working with clothing and allied product companies in Birmingham and the surrounding areas giving support in business planning and providing training. Since the project commenced, 200 people have received training; 75 companies have benefited from a free company profile and action plan; and 30 of those companies have received IT upgrades.

Award-winning training for SMEs

Skillfast-UK, Scottish Textiles and Cardonald College achieved a major success when their 'Training in the Workplace' programme was awarded first prize at the Scottish Further Education Unit Best Practice Awards 2002. The Programme brought together Cardonald College, Scottish Textiles, Skillfast-UK and the Scottish Executive to deliver workplace training in textile and clothing companies around Scotland. Uniquely, the programme offers I 5 days in company business orientated training which is custom tailored to meet the product and business needs of each individual company.

"This project enables us to tailor training to the exact requirements of each individual company. which will ensure that all the funding is used effectively."

Dr Alex McCluskey, Cardonald College

THE AUDIO VISUAL INDUSTRIES

Setting up a formal task force

Skillset has been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to set up a formal task force to implement recommendations made in the Independent Television Commission's Programme Supply Review. The task force is made up of senior figures from across the sector, many of whom already work closely with Skillset. They will report back to OfCom on how best to implement the training remit of the Communications Bill.

"The development of our talent is at the heart of our business principles. If we don't take action now, competing globally will not be our main worry survival will."

Clive Jones, Chief Executive of Canton Channels and Joint Managing Director of ITV

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