We are delighted to be able to share a flavour of over 1500 hours of training in less than 3 minutes! Please enjoy finding out more about this collaboration between Exeter and Heart of Devon Employment and Skills Board and Purple Cloud Consultancy following our successful bid for European funding. Just click the link:
81 tourism and hospitality organisations from Exeter and beyond took the opportunity to prepare to give a world-class welcome to the expected 165,000 RWC 2015 visitors by participating in a fabulous free day of training.
216 delegates enrolled on 16 courses held at Sandy Park to help their help businesses:
Maximise the opportunities for rugby-related business
Understand how to manage super-happy or unhappy rugby supporters
Promote places to visit in the area
Gain a competitive edge
Each delegate received:
A mini-tour of Sandy Park
A special Visit Exeter guide, a Host City pin badge and a certificate
The option of taking a free City & Guilds Level 2 qualification at the end of the day.
By all accounts RWC 2015 visitors from home and abroad have enjoyed their stays!
Rewarding hard work and celebrating success. Young People and Mentors RWC 2015 Tickets.
BBC Spotlight has been documenting the progress of some of the young people on our REEP work-readiness pilot. Film maker, Phil Tuckett and his colleagues have successfully squeezed ten intensive life-changing months into ten minutes! The film is due to be aired on BBC at 19:30 hours on 28 September, the day before the first RWC 2015 game at Sandy Park when Tonga meets Namibia.
To reward their fabulous efforts and celebrate their achievements, the young people and their trained volunteer mentors will attend the Tonga v Namibia match courtesy of the RWC 2015 Legacy Fund. But the celebrations start earlier in the day with a pre-match lunch and catch-up meeting kindly sponsored by Midas in the wonderful Estuary Room, at Darts Farm. Michael Dart was pleased to be able to support REEP and the positive difference it makes to the young people and the community.
As the RWC 2015 Legacy Funding ends and in order to continue this immensely successful initiative we are launching BEEP (Business Empowering Employment Programme) on 1 October. We hope that businesses will see BEEP as more than Corporate Social Partnership, acknowledge that it is the “right thing to do” and makes good business sense too. If you would like to find out more about “the Great BEEP Launch” contact Sandra Sampson of Motiv-8SW on 0844 848 9594.
Thank you to everyone who has been involved in REEP. REEP exemplifies our mantra “every individual matters” and was a remarkably successful partnership project.
Artist’s impression of the future home for Met Office Supercomputer on Exeter Science Park
The Exeter & Heart of Devon Employment and Skills Board (EHOD ESB) are working with local councils and the Growth Point team to maximise the potential for recruitment of local skills development and employment. In the Construction Industry this may be achieved through the adoption of the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) Client Based Approach (CBA) which sets the expectation that construction companies and their sub contractors, whether new build or for maintenance, invest in local skills development and employment opportunities, managed and measured through a set of key performance indicators (KPI) commensurate with the project type and scale.
We are delighted that Willmott Dixon who will be building a home for the final part of the Met Office’s new supercomputer at the Exeter Science Park have already committed to:
Local spending, labour and employment which through a set of KPIs enable them to quantify the indirect economic impact of their work on local communities
Participate in the Construction Ambassadors’ scheme, where Willmott Dixon employees, visit schools, colleges and career events, and organise site visits and share positive experiences, promoting construction as a rewarding career.
Nationally Willmott Dixon’s 2014 community investment activities included:
£2.27 million contributed to enhancing local communities
1,854 young people mentored
326 young people had work placements
500+ fundraising events for charity
57 careers events interacting with 3,700 young people
372 community events, from garden makeovers to renovations and repairs
11 fantastic activities in the management trainee challenge contributing over £250,000 to local communities
1,546 young people had their prospects transformed, (under Willmott Dixon’s definition) which is halfway towards h their target of 3000
£2,827 added by The Foundation’s Just Giving process to the £49,000 raised by staff through individual projects
Willmott Dixon say that “social and community investment and engagement is locked into our corporate DNA!”
This pilot RWC 2015 Event Customer Service Training for Hospitality and Tourism sectors was highly successful. It received very positive and complimentary delegate feedback, exceeded targets, was within budget and developed a model which could be adapted for training in preparation for other significant events in this region and beyond.
Some learning points from the pilot are listed in the table below. We also carefully reflected on other areas including how to reach participants, the information required by Europe and the Skills Funding Agency on the application form, the “Logo Conundrum” (the Catch 22 of logo compliance) and collaborative working. The evaluation report is available in full below.
Learning Point
Reason
Use the event venue or location if possible for the training
It forms an important part of the learning
Encourage the event venue or location to positively support and engage with the training
Ultimately the venue or location will benefit from the training and a positive relationship would add value to the programme
Encourage accreditation, make it free but not compulsory
To reinforce value to employers and encourage individuals especially those attracting priority sector payments
Integrate event resources in to the programme delivery
To acquaint the delegates with the material and demonstrate its usefulness
Use networks and multi-media for recruitment
To reach a broad spectrum of potential delegates and reach those with which you do not currently network
Mix cohorts from different organisations
For mutual benefit and more interesting discussions
Invest time in clarifying the funder’s requirements for paperwork at the outset despite the pressures to start to recruit
In order to minimise irritation to delegates and work load of training organization
Some interesting facts and figures:
Participants
256
Funded
231
Non-funded
16
Non-eligible
9
Percentage of target achieved (excluding non-eligible)
109%
City & Guilds Level 2 taken
203
Percentage of delegates undertaking accreditation
79%
Courses delivered
14
Businesses trained
80
Businesses with 1 or 2 delegates
55%
Mean rating of trainers
97%
Mean rating of overall course
91%
Exeter and Heart of Devon Employment and Skills Board and Purple Cloud Consultancy worked well together. Our approach leveraged our capacity to use networks, to quickly formulate the bid for the second tranche of funding and most importantly to access the initial funding opportunity and deliver excellent customer services training to the local hospitality and tourism industry. We would like to work together again!
Future Scientists at Big Bang SW 2015 (c) Pinnacle
Alex Ledbrooke from Education Business Partnership South West and member of the Exeter and Heart of Devon Employment and Skills Board writes –
This year’s Big Bang South West Fair at the University of Exeter celebrated the very best in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
The event attracted nearly 2,000 eager students from across the region to participate in one of the largest events of its kind regionally.
The emphasis was on interaction and the chance to explore the wide range of careers and opportunities in the field of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
More than 50 industry experts volunteered to judge nearly 100 student projects with the very best projects being selected to represent the South West at the prestigious finals of the National Science and Engineering Competition to be held at the Big Bang UK in March 2016
A huge interactive exhibition hall with more than 80 local, national and international organisations, including Western Power Distribution, the Met Office, South West Water, TDK, and AnTech Ltd were on hand to share their expertise and inspire those attending.
In addition, nearly 1000 young people took part in a ‘Mega Class’. Led by the National Space Academy and sponsored by Western Power Distribution.
The Big Bang Fair South West highlights to us all that STEM offers an exciting wealth of opportunities, not just internationally but also here in the South West too.
Nationally and locally businesses are facing skills gaps. Today was about recognising and celebrating the talents that exist in the South West and helping students to recognise the opportunities available to them. I’d like to thank everyone who attended, the companies that played such a vital part in making in an important aspect of regions annual calendar, and to all the winners and the teams that competed – everyone was a winner today.
The 10 project winners from the region going through to the finals of the National Science and Engineering Competition in March 2016 can been seen here
This free event is an opportunity to hear about the latest round of calls, the realities of running European Funded programmes and it will provide an opportunity to meet with potential partners.
Llewellyn Nicholls (right) celebrating with Matt (left) his mentee (c) Archant
The Rugby Empowering Employment Programme (REEP) is currently making a positive difference to the lives of young people between 16-24 years who were struggling to take their first steps on the career ladder. Following an intensive 10 day programme young people benefit from on-going mentoring from trained volunteers. REEP has undoubtedly changed the life chances of those involved for the better. We know that mentoring young people can be a challenge and requires constant commitment. Each volunteer is trained in mentoring in order to play their vital part. Our mentors come from different employment and skills backgrounds but they are unified in their desire to give something back, to learn and practise something new, and in their conviction that “every individual matters”. We also know that employers value these transferable mentoring skills too. We are therefore delighted to be working with our current mentors as they work on REEP and use their mentoring skills in a wider context.
James Bogue
Active Devon
Llewellyn Nicholls
Archant Publishers
Dan Pritchard
Astley Media
Scott Walker
Devon Community Foundation
Victoria Hatfield
Exeter City Council
Mike Blakeley
Exeter College
Sam Hyde
Met Office
Tim Baker
Midas
Sandra Sampson
Motiv-8SW
Austin Woodin
Former Royal Marine
Chris Shrimpton
Retired teacher
REEP will soon become BEEP (Business Empowering Employment Programme). As the RWC 2015 Legacy funding comes to an end we will be launching BEEP. We would love to hear from businesses who like to become involved and to benefit from BEEP too. Contact Sandra Sampson of Motiv-8SW on 0844 848 9594 to find out more.
On Friday 22 May, Dr Phil Norrey, Chief Executive of Devon County Council, presented REEP certificates to four young people, and Mark Shepherd, Chair of Exeter and Heart of Devon Employment and Skills Board (EHOD ESB), commended the individuals and the Motiv-8sw team. They echoed the message “Every individual matters” which had been the theme of Karime Hassan, Chief Executive of Exeter City Council, at the REEP 1 celebration event held just three months earlier.
Teamwork and goals
Motiv-8sw’s team, Kieron Yeoman (Training Director) and Royden Scott, are “special” former Royal Marines who connect, care for and challenge young people, boosting their confidence and skills. This helps individuals to focus their ideas and to make positive steps towards employment. Together with trained volunteer mentors they build a strong, long-term support framework tailored to the individual’s needs. Mentor Tim Baker from Midas is partnered with Matt C, while Mike Blakeley from Exeter College mentors Ed. They were all there to celebrate at the event on Friday along with parents, project partners and employers. Over the coming months everyone, especially the young people themselves, will be digging deep and working towards their identified goals. Initial thoughts on possible destinations include:
Teacher or Teaching Assistant in a secondary school
Matt C
Retail and in particular Tesco
REEP attracts attention
The REEP success story is attracting attention. ‘Inside Out’ BBC Spotlight’s current affairs programme has been following REEP 2 and REEP 1 participants on their journeys. They are hoping to broadcast their documentary in September. Journalists from Archant are currently researching a piece to a similar deadline and their photographer joined in the celebration on Friday too.
Win, Win, Win
Despite current high levels of employment, Young People on REEP 1 and 2 tell us that there are more individuals who can benefit from this programme. Reaching these young people is a challenge in itself. Regardless of a referring agency’s criteria, we have been able to offer free REEP places. However, #RWC2015 Legacy funds which have largely funded REEP 1 and 2 ends with these four young people; it has positively changed the lives of those it has touched through REEP. Sandra Sampson, Director of Motiv-8sw who has been leading the programme with the EHOD ESB said: “REEP is a Win, Win,Win”
WINNERS
Businesses and mentors
Young People
Community
Mentor training and practice contributes to CPD and brings about better business performance. Mentees may become future employees and/or customers.
Gain confidence, skills and a desire to make positive steps in their lives and gain employment.
Caring and thriving communities value every individual. Young positive people who are working contribute to their communities and in time become role models for their own families.
Huge return on Investment
Oenone Thomas, Partnerships and Projects Manager Exeter and Heart of Devon Employment and Skills Board (EHOD ESB), said “Whatever your perspective the ‘Return on Investment’ is huge. We like to focus on the human cost and the Social Return on Investment but we are acutely aware that those contributing towards programmes like REEP need to justify their decisions in terms of financial returns on investment and value for money too. We value our employer partners who are motivated by more than their Corporate Social Responsibility policy, especially those who are embedded in their community and have a fundamental connection to the interests and motivation of their people, as well as their careers”.
REEP to BEEP
Soon REEP will become BEEP (Business Empowering Employment Programme). As well as a new logo, we are designing a new business model to continue the vital and extremely rewarding work which is centred on “Every Individual Matters”. The lives of thirteen young people and those working with them have been changed for the better. Please contact Sandra Sampson on 0844 848 9594 to find out more about BEEP if you want to make a positive difference to someone’s life.
REEP is for any young person between 16-24 years who is struggling to take first steps on their career ladder. With the benefit of an intensive 10 day programme and on-going mentoring from trained volunteers REEP is currently making a positive difference to the lives of two groups of young people
REEP 1
REEP 1 individuals celebrated a successful end to their 10 day programme on Friday 13th February and since then 8 of the 9 young people have continued to make real progress. Their volunteer mentors maintain their support which can bring many challenges but which has undeniably had a very positive impact. This is what Charlie who is working for an IT company reported to his mentor:
“Anyway! Good to hear from you, everything is going pretty darn well with the job, still there and my probation period is up at the end of May so it’s all looking pretty good. They’ve already got me going up and around the country to do stuff at our other sites, including today where I’ve been up to Oxford to fix a bunch of stuff.
That REEP course though has really helped me out with my confidence and all as well, lost a bunch of weight already and buying a motorbike in the next couple weeks, so it’s all go!
Thanks for the job advert, really, I don’t think I’ll be applying for anywhere at the moment though, one of the first times I’ve really enjoyed my job; great people, good work, never bored and waiting for anything and it’s right up my alley, big smiles all round!”
An inspiring update on the young people on REEP 1:
Aaron
Doing voluntary work for Hospice Care, has applied for the Army, looking to do CSCS card and possibly finding work in construction
Amy
Working at Crealy Park
Charlie
Working at Co-op, completed CSCS card
Charlie
Working at an IT company and contributing to REEP 2
Hamish
Applied for Bricklayers apprenticeship at Exeter College
Jacob
(Jacob’s mentor is trying to make contact sadly without success at the moment.)
Jemima
Working at Coaches Cafe
Mike
Working at Devon Recycling
Ryan
Re-taking CSCS card, improving CV and has a part-time job at Yodel
REEP 2
Meanwhile young people on REEP 2 are just coming to the end of their 10 day programme. REEP 2 is a smaller group of young men who have overcome significant multiple challenges to make huge amounts of progress on the programme. Some young people have not received help from any of the usual agencies. Confidence, self-esteem and aspiration building have been fundamental stepping stones to their progress. They have met their new mentors. For one young man who was extremely nervous and who literally froze prior to the first meeting with his mentor Motiv8-SW’s coaching and mentoring techniques successfully persuaded him to meet his mentor. His satisfaction at finally overcoming his severe lack of self-confidence was immense.
We are looking forward to the REEP 2 presentation day Friday 22 May at St Loye’s. We are really proud of the REEP programme and cannot thank everyone enough for their help, time and involvement. REEP 1 has an 89% success rate of young people starting the REEP programme to progressing into work. But we are we are fortunate to be able to and feel compelled to focus on every individual as an individual. Where other programmes targeting unemployed young people may have cancelled a programme with a small number of individuals we have remembered that “every individual matters”.
Once again thank you to everyone who has supported REEP. Between us all we are making a positive difference to young people’s lives!
Graph showing the Human Resource Drill Down & Sample Comments
We tried something new at the Unlocking Big Data – Investing in Human Capital event. We dispensed with the flip charts and the break-out sessions and gathered, analysed, presented and interpreted the real-time contributions of delegates.
So how did we find out that we need more Big Data Champions?
In addition to the discussion happening in the room, attendees also shared their thoughts on Twitter, using the #UnlockingBigData hashtag and on a private comments submission system reserved exclusively for the event. Paul Howarth from PanSensic undertook the analysis of 174 free field comments from 5 stakeholder groups made through the submission system and then presented his initial analysis and interpretation to the delegates.
The headlines were:
Extracting value from Big Data
Resistance to change
Cost/benefits of working with Big Data
Understanding the value in Big Data & how to get at it
Challenges for SME’s
Human Resource
Concerned with what kind of people we want, how to identify them and attract them, how to train and keep them
The high cost of skills, team building and integration into the organisation
Education
How do we know what skills are required, will be required?
How do we teach them and how do we keep up?
How do we get young people into the field?
How do we tap into existing expertise?
Following the event, in-depth analysis drilled down into each of the themes and a series of PanSensic lenses was used to reveal even more. The PanSensic Mercury lens, a way of looking at “personality essence” revealed the lack of Big Data Champions and Route Finders. Big Data Champions and Route Finders help create a virtuous circle – open to change, embraces the cost benefit analysis and leads to a greater understanding of the value of Big Data, and so on.
Graph showing the findings revealed by the PanSensic Mercury Lens
The new Met Office super-computer, the opening of the first building on the Science Park, the growing concentration of STEM industries and organisations points to a vibrant digital future. A future which requires access to talent to take it forward.
Greater Exeter Skills Partnership is an independent body and voice for employers, aiming to improve employment across Devon and beyond.
Greater Exeter Skills Partnership 