Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the South East Midlands are urged to take advantage of a £1.35 million skills training fund to upskill their workforce.

The training is delivered as part of the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) programme, which Serco’s Employment, Skills & Enterprise business is managing across the SEM LEP. Under the 28-month programme which launched in April, Serco will work in partnership with the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEM LEP) to provide skills development that focuses on upskilling employees in key priority sectors as identified in the LEP’s strategic economic plan; 

• Health and Social Care sector
• Construction
• Logistics 

Through SSW, eligible businesses can benefit from funded training, tailored to their specific needs. Training is flexible and businesses can select full qualifications or mix and match individual units that are directly relevant to their work. Previous SSW programme participants have benefited from increased employee confidence, motivation and productivity and improved employee loyalty and retention. 

Business participants will each benefit from a bespoke Training Needs Analysis that identifies requirements for upskilling or skills gaps in their workforce. Training for participant businesses could cover subjects such as IT and digital skills, leadership and management or more vocationally relevant courses. 

The SSW programme in SEM LEP also offers support and training for individuals at risk of redundancy or those who have been made redundant within the last three months. 

To deliver the programme, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, Serco has partnered with expert training organisations to offer local businesses recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses, aiming to enhance employees’ skills and increase the competitiveness of the businesses. 

Rob Matts, Head of Skills Support for the Workforce at Serco, said: 
“I am delighted that Serco has been selected by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to manage the SSW programme in the South East Midlands in partnership with the LEP. We have already supported more than 29,000 learners through our SSW delivery across England with more than 7000 businesses benefitting from this important service. 

I would urge businesses or, individuals that may be facing redundancy, to get in touch with our team and take advantage of the funded training on offer. We look forward to enabling many more businesses to take advantage of SSW training to upskill their staff and grow their businesses.” 

SEM LEP Employer and Skills Manager, Paul Thompson, adds: 
“This programme is a direct result of the call from businesses with a need to up-skill and re-skill the workforce. With the huge growth in businesses in the area, the programme aims to help employers, especially the growing businesses, retain and develop key team members especially with the rapid pace of the introduction of digital and automated technologies.”

Businesses can contact Serco on skillssupport@serco.com or click here for more details and to find out if they are eligible for funded training through Skills Support for the Workforce.