Facilities Management Association

More than £2 million will be spent on projects to drive employer investment in skills across the Asset Skills footprint.

 

The funding, provided through the Employer Investment Fund and administered by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, will help Asset Skills implement a range of employer-led programmes.

 

The £2,026,000 will be used across four projects over two years in facilities management, housing, property, planning, cleaning and parking. The projects include:

 

- Establishing clear routes to employment across the UK with pilots;

- Developing strategies to help employers identify and develop talented people;

- Increasing investment in relevant higher level skills;

- Providing relevant labour market information and careers advice to support employers with their strategic planning.

 

Chris Cracknell, Chief Executive of OCS Group Limited and Chairman of Asset Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the above industries, said:

 

“We hope this funding can help build further capacity for employers to take ownership of the skills agenda within each industry Asset Skills represents. This investment shows skills improvement will play a key part of the growth agenda and in helping lift industry out of recession.”

 

Richard Beamish, Chief Executive of Asset Skills said: “This is really welcome news for the sector and means we can continue to develop new apprenticeships and work-specific training that will strengthen the workforce and help employers through this difficult time.”

 

The UK Commission received 109 proposals into the fund totalling over £119m. Following a rigorous assessment process, Commissioners chose 63 of the best solutions with the greatest potential to drive growth and employer investment in skills.

 

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For Asset Skills media enquiries contact Jess Watson at [email protected] or call 07827 947 519.

 

For UK Commission for Employment and Skills media enquiries contact Alex Curling at the UKCES on [email protected] or call 07748 090500.

 

1. The Employer Investment Fund Phase 2 Prospectus was launched on 30 June 2011. The closing date for applications was 7 September 2011.

 

2. It is only open to licensed UK Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). SSCs are licensed by government to be independent, employer-led, UK–ide organisations. The SSCs and the UK Commission are committed to working in partnership across the four nations to create the conditions for increased employer investment in skills which will drive enterprise and create jobs and sustainable economic growth.

 

3. It will replace SSC strategic (grant) funding from April 2012 onwards

 

4. It can fund up to two years of activity – 2012/13 and 2013/14

 

5. All investment decisions were made by the UK Commission’s Commissioners: a group of high-profile leaders from large, small and medium enterprises from the public, private and voluntary sectors. All are committed to investing in the skills of people to drive enterprise, jobs and growth.

 

 

Asset Skills is the Sector Skills Council for facilities management, housing, property, planning, cleaning and parking.

 

It is a UK-wide organisation, licensed by Government to work with business to ensure training and vocational qualifications are relevant and meeting the needs of industry. Its work is shaped by leading employers who steer the organisation through a main board. There are also separate boards for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

 

There are several strands to its work:

 

- Occupational Standards - all careers must be backed by sound occupational standards. Asset Skills develops standards in consultation with industry. These are descriptions of the tasks and responsibilities of particular jobs and form the basis for workplace qualifications such as Apprenticeships and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) or awards offered by professional bodies.

 

- Employer engagement - this is at the heart of its work. Asset Skills is led by a board of employers from each of the industries it represents and its teams meet businesses of all sizes on a daily basis.

 

- Labour Market Information - good research enables greater understanding of each sector's shifting requirements in terms of markets, working practices and technological change

 

For more information about Asset Skills please visit www.assetskills.org, email [email protected] or call 0845 678 2 888.