A Guide to Employer Services

Investing in Success A Guide to Employer Services and Opportunities with The Bedford College Group

bedford.ac.uk/employers

03

04

Partnerships & collaboration

08

Professional training & development

12

Apprenticeships

14

T Levels & work placements

18

Campus locations

“We can help you retain and upskill your existing teams or hire and develop new talent.“

T: 01234 291250

Welcome The Bedford College Group has a vested interest in the local employment landscape because we need to ensure the people we educate have jobs to go to when they leave us.

As the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 18,000 students passing through our doors each year, we work with hundreds of employers across the region, creating positive collaborations which benefit both local businesses and the wider community.

With decades of experience and a growing geographical area encompassing Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, we have the expertise and infrastructure to meet all your training needs.

From apprentices to bespoke training, we can help you hire and develop new talent or retain and upskill your existing teams. Share your challenges with us and we can find a solution to help.

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

05

Partnerships & collaboration The relationships built between business and education are vital. By working with employers and understanding your challenges, we can ensure that we are offering the right courses to meet local needs and address any skills gaps in the market.

We want to bring employers and the curriculum together, so that The Bedford College Group can become the first choice for local employers’ training needs. By keeping your training within the local community everyone benefits and contributes to the corporate sustainability of the region. We want Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to be a strong and vibrant local economy, with the right people with the right skills in the right jobs.

So, if any of the following apply to you:

Ways we can help your business

• No time or internal expertise to provide CPD for your existing staff

• Bespoke training courses • Leadership and Management Training

• Staff retention problems due to lack of personal development opportunities

• Soft skills/Human skills workshops

• Difficulty recruiting appropriately trained staff

• Sustainability courses

• Sales & Marketing training

• A retiring workforce of skilled labour that you need to future-proof with new talent

• Wellbeing workshops

• Gaps in your workforce that could be filled with an apprentice

• Industry regulation/compliance courses

then get in touch with the Partnerships Team to see how we can help you.

• Part-time evening courses

By working collaboratively with businesses and stakeholders in the community, we create relationships where everyone benefits. But before this can happen, relationships have to be established. Conversations need to take place, trust must be earned and common goals must be agreed. And most importantly, before we can help you fully, we need to understand your challenges.

• Industry accredited courses

• Distance learning courses

• Apprenticeships • Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)

Ways your business can help us • Participating in Employer Advisory boards • Making equipment donations • Sponsoring college events • Setting real world projects for students • Teaching industry-specific specialist modules • Providing CPD opportunities for our college staff • Offering T Level work placements • Offering study programme work placements • Helping us design our curriculum

T: 01234 291250

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

07

Participating in Employer Advisory boards The Bedford College Group regularly hosts Industry Employer Forums/Advisory Boards where we discuss the future workforce and local economy with local employers. Industry and education go hand in hand and we believe it is our responsibility to have frank and open discussions with industry representatives on topics such as: • What are your goals as an employer and how can we support you to achieve these?

• What industry-relevant skills do you feel are lacking in today’s workforce?

• Our future plans and how you can get involved • How our current and future students and apprentices can support your workforce These forums also provide an opportunity for you to meet and network with other like-minded businesses. If you would like to join other forwardthinking employers at one of our future Forum events, please do get in touch – we would love to hear from you.

Guest Speaking Guest speakers are an important and fun part of our students’ lessons. Many of them often comment on how interesting and useful they find these sessions. Some students may stay in contact with guest speakers, benefitting from other opportunities such as work experience or even an apprenticeship.

We bring industry representatives into the classroom so we can help our students connect theory with practice. It is inspiring for our students to hear from those already working in the sector they are interested in and can give them motivation and ambition to succeed with their qualifications.

If you agree to talk to our students, you can talk about your own company’s experiences and achievements, as well as the wider industry, thereby promoting your business at the same time as honing your public speaking skills!

Speaking opportunities are always available, either in person or virtually, so do get in touch if this is of interest.

Teaching industry-specific specialist modules

Providing CPD opportunities for our college staff

In order to support employers and create a highly skilled workforce of the future, we need technical teachers to influence and inspire our students.

As well as training our students to become the workforce of the future, we also have an obligation to our teaching staff to ensure they are given opportunities to refresh and broaden their own industry knowledge. We want to ensure our staff are at the cutting-edge of their industries and so opportunities to work with local employers are invaluable.

Would you consider becoming a guest lecturer for our students? This dual role can fit alongside your existing work commitments in industry, whilst you deliver modules of learning to provide our students with up-to-date industry processes and practices. These flexible roles are paid at an hourly rate. We will provide all the training you need to guest lecture, as well as further training to work towards accredited teaching qualifications if you desire.

If this sounds like something that might be of interest then please get in touch and we can provide you with more details.

Making equipment donations We are always looking to expand and upgrade our industry equipment so if you would like to make a donation to one of our campuses these can always be put to good use by our learners.

“We bring industry representatives, into the classroom so we can help our students connect theory with practice.“ T: 01234 291250

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

09

Professional training & development

Let us help upskill you and your staff with the following courses:

By focusing on the skills of your team members you can help your business to grow and stand out from the crowd.

Human skills training

The Bedford College Group can deliver a wide range of training approaches including in-person, online and distance learning. If you would like to create a bespoke training session for your team, we can work with you to meet your business needs. And if there are courses we don’t currently offer that you would like to see provided, then let us know – we want to provide the training that your employees need.

Human skills are the personal and interpersonal skills that support your business and keep it running smoothly, such as leadership, communication and time-management. These skills often help with internal relationships and wellbeing and are just as important as technical and job-specific skills.

Industry accredited courses Many of our courses are accredited by the UK’s leading national industry training bodies. Some of our notable partners include:

“The Bedford College Group have the expertise and the infrastructure to meet all your training and professional development needs“

• Association for Accounting Technicians (AAT) • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) • Chartered Management Institute (CMI) • Cisco Networking Academy (IT skills) • Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) • Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) • Institute of Motor Vehicle Industry (IMI) • Lantra (land based training & qualifications) • Microsoft professional courses • Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)

T: 01234 291250

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

11

Industry regulation/compliance We offer IOSH and NEBOSH Health & Safety courses as well as Electrical, Gas, Plumbing, Chainsaw and Pesticide compliance training.

Distance learning courses Distance learning provides employees with a flexible way of completing professional development. Your employees can study from home with specialist support from our tutors throughout the programme. We offer a range of interesting subjects such as Business, Care, Equity & Diversity, Health & Nutrition, Safeguarding and Sustainability. All our Level 2 Distance Learning are FREE of charge, providing the course is completed.

Part-time evening courses

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)

Our part-time courses enable your staff to continue working whilst enhancing their current skillset, pursuing an interest or passion in more depth, or making the jump to learn something new.

We offer a range of full-time and part-time degree-level courses including HNCs, HNDs, Foundation degrees and full Bachelor degrees (validated by local universities). These courses can be completed from as little as eight hours per week and offer a flexible way to achieve a university qualification incorporating online and blended learning approaches. We have smaller class sizes than universities and industry-standard facilities.

The skills of your employees represent one of the most important elements of your business.

Our range of qualifications will allow your staff to increase their skills, knowledge and self-awareness – creating a thriving culture of employer investment and employee empowerment.

We offer excellent training facilities and a team of highly-qualified tutors to support you to achieve your business goals. We deliver a variety of professional development courses in a wide range of industries - our professional programmes in Accounting, Business & Management, Construction and Engineering are all well respected by local businesses and highly sought after by employers.

T: 01234 291250

Speak to our team to see how we can contribute to the continued development of your workforce. We can deliver various different training approaches available during the day and evening, virtually or at your workplace. partnerships@bedford.ac.uk 01234 291250

Are you opening a new site or need an increase in your staffing capacity?

We can help you by setting up a Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) We work in partnership with employers and Job Centre Plus to design flexible, fully-funded training programmes. Candidates are identified

by Job Centre Plus, undertake the training programme and employers provide information regarding their organisations vacancies and then interview all candidates. This is a free of charge service and employers will be supported by their own project lead at the college.

Once appointed we can also design training packages to continue training the new recruits.

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

13

Apprenticeships What is an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship funding

Apprenticeships are training programmes that work for your business. They are designed to develop the practical skills of your employees through on-the-job experience and training, combined with off-the-job learning and nationally recognised qualifications, providing a range of business benefits.

Levy Employers: Levy paying employers will pay 100% of the agreed amount of the apprenticeship standard funding band. This amount will be deducted from their levy via their apprenticeship service account on a payment schedule.

Why work with The Bedford College Group?

Since merging with Central Bedfordshire College in 2023, The Bedford College Group is the 7th largest education provider in England and the largest apprenticeship provider in the area. We work with over 1,500 employers from SMEs to international companies in a wide variety of industries from Automotive and Care, Agriculture to IT, with particularly strong links in Engineering and Construction.

Non-Levy Employers: As a non-levy employer you pay just 5% towards the cost of the apprenticeship, with the Government cocontributing 95% of the apprenticeship standard funding band.

If you employ fewer than 50 employees, the government will pay 100% of the apprenticeship training costs up to the funding band maximum for apprentices aged: 16 to 18 19 to 24 for apprentices with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) provided by their local authority or who have been in the care of their local authority.

Incentive information and benefits

I have an apprentice I would like to enrol

Incentive:

If you have an apprentice you would like to enrol onto an apprenticeship, you will need to contact our Business Development team who will discuss the apprenticeship in further detail and explain the next steps.

AGE Grant £1,000 is available for all employers who hire an apprentice: Aged 16 to 18 years old Aged 19 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or who has been in the care of their local authority.

When you’ll get paid: The payments will be issued in two equal instalments for each apprentice.

To be eligible, your apprentice must complete: 90 days of their apprenticeship for your first payment.

365 days of their apprenticeship for your second payment.

Hiring an apprentice offers your organisation a host of benefits by: • Providing new, motivated talent • Nurturing and training to meet the needs of your business • Expanding and upskilling your workforce • Creating employee longevity – many apprentices stay with their employers to build on the skills they learn during their apprenticeship

For all apprenticeship enquiries please contact Business Development training@bedford.ac.uk 01234 291747 bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk

T: 01234 291250

We will contact your apprentice to discuss their apprenticeship and complete a pre enrolment meeting with a member of our Apprenticeship Recruitment Team.

You and your apprentice will be invited in for an induction to complete the enrolment and meet your apprentice’s designated Training Coordinator.

I am looking for an apprentice If you are an employer looking to recruit an apprentice you will need to contact our Business Development team who will discuss the apprenticeship options with you and review your vacancy to identify a suitable apprenticeship standard.

Your vacancy will then be picked up and handled by our Apprenticeship Recruitment Team, who will review the vacancy, advertise and manage the applications.

The suitable applicants will be sent to you, for you to shortlist for interview / assessment.

Once you have selected your apprentice, you will agree a start date with them and we will progress the enrolment.

You and your apprentice will be invited in for an induction to complete the enrolment and meet your apprentice’s designated Training Coordinator.

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

15

T Levels & work placements By offering students practical ‘real world’ opportunities during their learning journey, we encourage their development, ensuring they leave us well-prepared with the skills necessary to meet the demands of the future workforce.

“Placements are an excellent way for you and your team to share your experience and meet potential candidates for future roles.“

Offering study programme work placements Each of our full-time students follows a tailored study programme which includes their professional qualification, English and maths (if required), personal development skills and work experience.

Work experience is really important as it gives our students real-life experience in the industry they are learning about and enhances their CV, prepares them for employment and gives them valuable networking opportunities for the future.

We rely on employers to provide placements for our students.

• Placements are scheduled as part of a student’s study programme. They may be completed as a block – i.e. a one-week placement – or over a longer period of time, attending on a weekly basis. Our placement coordinators work with employers to agree these arrangements.

• By matching a student’s course to a relevant local business or industry we ensure we are adding value to both parties.

• Placements are an excellent way for you and your team to share your experience and meet potential candidates for future roles.

T: 01234 291250

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

17

Offering T Level work placements T Levels are a two-year qualification, introduced in 2021, for 16-19 year olds who want to learn vocational skills and gain industry experience, which have been designed with employers’ input to ensure young people are learning the skills required by industry. T Level delivery includes the following elements: • Technical knowledge and skills specific to the chosen industry or occupation • Relevant maths, English and digital skills • An industry placement of at least 45 days to develop practical and technical skills The industry placement is a large part of a T Level qualification and we offer participating employers full support with every aspect, from paperwork to planning and designing the placement to fit the needs of the individual students, whilst also fulfilling your business requirements.

T: 01234 291250

We would love to hear from you if you can offer a placement for one or more of our students But if you don’t feel able to commit to offering a placement, maybe you could help in one of the following ways: • Student visits – many of our study programmes incudes trips to local businesses and organisations – could you accommodate a group for a few hours?

• Setting real world projects for students could you set a real-world assignment for our students to complete? For example our Graphic Design students have helped many local businesses with branding activities over the years.

• Sponsoring college events Our large following and wide customer base across the South East Midlands makes us the perfect platform through which to promote your brand whilst actively supporting upcoming talent. We have numerous sponsorship opportunities in the following areas, all of which can be tailored to your individual requirements: • Annual achievement ceremony • Naming rights for facilities • College and community events • Signage Let us know if you would like more information on any of the above, or to have a conversation about other bespoke opportunities.

• Careers Events – could you give a talk to our students or have a stand at a future careers event?

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

19

Campus Locations “We want to bring employers and curriculum together so that The Bedford Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, College Group can Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist become the land-based college; and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. first choice for The Group also includes two dedicated Sixth local employers’ Form colleges in Bedford and Corby. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group has community-based Learning Centres in training needs.”

The Bedford College Group consists of a family of five colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, including:

Contact us For apprenticeships please contact the Business Development team on: training@bedford.ac.uk 01234 291747

For all other enquiries please contact: partnerships@bedford.ac.uk 01234 291250

For full details of all full-time and part-time courses available please visit our website at bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/courseswe-offer/

Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

T: 01234 291250

bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/employers

“Help shape the region’s future workforce and curriculum.“

Training & Qualifications

Employer advisory boards

Employer informed curriculum

Sponsorship & funding