Business Link October 2021

Business Link

Autumn 2021

We’re always looking to the future at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre. It’s hard not to - especially when there’s potential everywhere we look.

There’s potential for growth, potential for success and most importantly - heaps of potential in the people and businesses of Rochdale.

That’s why we’ve launched Business Link. It’s our new way of working closely with businesses to ensure we keep developing the strong ties that bind us together and the benefits that we all enjoy from this.

After all, Hopwood is an institution with ambitious aims at Hopwood Hall College our core to drive economic prosperity for the borough. We & University achieve this through upskilling and retraining people of allCentre ages in the community and in the workplace.

Our focus is always on training the local labour market to meet employer demands and, in the process, plug the skills gaps. This is how we galvanize success - and we invite you to join us in this mission.

Business Link is the new way of connecting with us on this goal. You’ll be able to learn about what we’ve been doing, Hopwood Hall College how we’ve been working with businesses and what our & University Centre plans are for the future.

We hope this will inspire you to explore the different ways in which you can grow your workforce and shape futures.

This will guarantee that we can all benefit from what the future holds!

Hopwood Hall College & University Centre

MIDDLETON CAMPUS Rochdale Road Middleton M24 6XH Hopwood Hall College Tel: 0161 643 7560

& University Centre

ROCHDALE CAMPUS St. Mary’s Gate Rochdale, OL12 6RY Tel: 01706 345 346

UPSKILL YOUR TEAMS FOR TOMORROW Hopwood Hall College Explore how we can help you to grow your business & University Centre

e. employerservices@hopwood.ac.uk t. 0161 654 4363

Grow your business with our support We know just how passionate local businesses are about growth and development. Due to this, we have crafted a number of services to aid with your ambitious goals.

By linking up with our Employer Services team, you can learn about all the different ways in which you can upskill your workforce – and throughout the process we’ll make sure that you’re in the driving seat.

Just some of the services you can take advantage of include: • Free short courses • Online learning packages • Flexible learning packages • Professional qualifications • Bespoke courses tailored to meet your individual business needs delivered at a time and location to suit you • Industry specific training • Access to funding • Apprenticeships

We’ll work closely with you to discover exactly which services you and your staff can most benefit from in order to achieve maximum impact for your business.

One of the ways we can do this is through our experienced team of consultants completing a workforce skills audit to identify your individual training needs and create a bespoke Workforce Development Plan.

There are plenty of opportunities for your business just on the horizon and together we can create a tailor-made development plan that can be implemented at a time and location that suits you.

Let’s start growing your business today!

For more information, be sure to contact e. employerservices@hopwood.ac.uk t. 0161 654 4373

Our partnerships of purpose It’s been very exciting launching T-Levels at Hopwood Hall College.

These revolutionary new two-year qualifications – which have been designed alongside employers – include a 45-day work placement for all learners.

We’ve seen so much enthusiasm from businesses of all sizes that want to offer the all-important work experience. It truly is terrific to see so many employers recognising how much difference it can make to their business to recruit students who have the skills to thrive in their industry.

Earlier this year a few of the employers we’re working with even featured in our brand new film about T-Levels. This included Beth Modder from Willmott Dixon (pictured), Spatial Initiative, Roley Poley’s Day Nursery, and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

We’re always interested in connecting with employers who want to join us in this partnership of purpose, so if you think you might be interested in offering a T-Level placement then please contact us at careers@hopwood.ac.uk.

Training the next generation of key workers This year we’ve proudly been working alongside the Northern Care Alliance.

This relationship allows us to ensure opportunities for our students working towards a career in healthcare, and in the process this gives the NCA access to high calibre individuals who can make a real impact in the NHS. It’s been fantastic working together to establish how we can meet each other’s needs. One of the best ways we saw this happen was when the NCA hosted a careers fair at our Rochdale Campus. This allowed our students to really engage with the message of the NCA - something that was extremely beneficial to both sides.

We’re now working with the NCA to allow 20 students to undertake placements as they complete the T-Level in Supporting Adult Nursing.

These learners have a lot to offer and we’ve no doubt they’ll thrive as they undertake this work experience.

Steve Taylor, Managing Director and Chief Officer of Rochdale Care Organisation, studied at Hopwood.

A comprehensive guide designed for employers Our aim is for businesses to get the most out of the many services that we offer at Hopwood. This is why we have a dedicated section on our website which is designed just for employers.

You’ll find a comprehensive guide to our services here, including how to join Employer Industry Boards, information on hiring new staff through our Sector Based Work Academy, and opportunities in skills and workforce development.

We’ve received some really positive feedback about how easy it is to navigate through our services and along the way we’ve been able to form so many fantastic new partnerships.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to do so, we’d love for you to check it out and learn more about the ways in which we can work together.

Visit us at

www.hopwood.ac.uk/employer-services

Retrain or upskill on YOUR terms We know that sometimes people are hesitant to retrain and upskill because they’re worried about how they’ll fit it into their busy schedules.

Thankfully, we offer courses that are designed for those people who want to get ahead while juggling the likes of work and family commitments.

Our Flexible Learning routes put the learner in the driving seat. These accredited qualifications can typically be completed in just 12 weeks – with each individual choosing the time and place where they study. They’re even FREE for most residents of Greater Manchester!

Just some of the most popular business-centric routes that we offer include Certificates in Principles of Team Leading, Certificate in Digital Skills for Work, Certificate in Principals of Business Administration, and Certificate in Lean Organisation Management Techniques.

One learner, Sammia Syed, said that her flexible course was invaluable.

She told us: “The skills I have learnt will help me to advance my career. Hopwood has treated me as an individual and really helped me to make the right training choices to aid me on my life journey.”

Flexible Learning Upskill with us, learn something new Gain qualifications to boost your career with one of our Flexible Learning courses.

Explore FREE* courses from the following subject areas and study from the comfort of your own home.

• Business Enterprise • IT and Digital • Retail and Leisure • Hospitality • Health and Care • Childcare and Education

Apply today: hopwood.ac.uk

Flexible Learning is ideal for individuals who are dedicated to achieving personal and professional growth, but often employers put forward members of their workforce to ensure that they are able to develop the desired skills in this extremely convenient way.

Powering up for the future We’re constantly expanding our course offerings to meet the needs of local businesses and plug the skills gaps in the community and beyond. This is why we recently launched a brand new set of short electrotechnical courses.

Under the rallying cry of ‘power up the north’, these courses have been incredibly popular. We’ve seen electricians of all experience levels link up with us to gain the most cutting edge skills, including those centred around the requirements of designing, installing, commissioning and certifying electric vehicle charging ports.

Meanwhile, the City & Guilds 234603 Experienced Worker qualification is the approved route to gaining a prestigious JIB Gold Card.

We’re pleased to say we’ll keep running this new set of courses – which range in length from two days to 38 weeks – with various start dates throughout the year. It’s great that there’s such a demand to upskill

and that so many people are able to benefit from this important training.

In addition, we’ll continue to innovate with new courses that keep meeting the changing needs of employers – so be sure to keep checking our offerings to see which ones could be beneficial to you and your workforce!

Team Hopwood’ll fix it!

We’re always looking to roll up our sleeves and get involved in projects that benefit the community. That’s why we jumped at the chance to take part in a special DIY SOSstyle charity fix-up for Springhill Hospice.

The 15-strong team of volunteers – led

by Principal and CEO Julia Heap – spent two days fixing up the Craven on Broad Lane. The establishment was previously being used as a coffee shop before closing in 2020.

The taskforce set about completing a number of jobs, including removing the fixed seating, putting up new shelves and adding storage solutions.

The walls also received a fresh coat of paint courtesy of products donated to the project by Brewers.

Those involved managed to transform the property, in due part to the expert skills possessed by staff who work

in the college’s Technology Centre.

Amongst those in the mix were tutors who teach qualifications in fields such as painting, decorating and carpentry to both school leavers and adults.

We’re always eager to get involved in these kinds of projects, so we’d like to invite you to get in touch if you or your business is involved in any community initiatives that could benefit from our input.

Contact us: BusinessLink@hopwood.ac.uk

Lights, camera, action for apprentices!

The college is one of just a handful of institutions that has been chosen to take part in the Heritage Building Skills programme being delivered by Historic England in partnership with the Hamish Ogston Foundation.

The scheme will see the college’s tradespeople-intraining working to protect glorious buildings that are often hundreds of years old. Our cohort will be made up of both students and apprentices – allowing them the opportunity to gain real-world work experience between learning at the college.

This will provide a huge boost to their employability due to the current skills gap in the heritage construction sector.

A number of learners have already had the opportunity to demonstrate what they’re capable of as they starred in a new film released by Historic England. The footage features several apprentices showing off some of the expert skills they have been perfecting through studying at the college.

College recognised at national awards We’re so proud of all the training opportunities we provide and we work continuously to ensure that they meet the needs of our partners - both now and in the future.

Therefore, we were thrilled to discover that one of our provisions received a nomination at the prestigious Festival of Learning Awards. This is the biggest celebration of lifelong learning in the country and it was a pleasure to see them recognise us for our Get into Working in Construction with CSCS Card course.

This nod will only make our team work that much harder to guarantee that the pathways we offer are always of the highest quality - not just when compared to others in the North West, but the whole of the UK!

Six roles all successfully filled for RBH We are delighted to be the chosen training provider for a number of new apprenticeships being offered by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

There are six roles altogether, including two people training in Plastering, two in Carpentry and Joinery, and two in Electrical.

As well as providing the training, we also helped with recruiting for the roles to ensure that the best candidates were sourced from the community. These individuals can now look forward to studying a qualification where they’ll learn new skills at the college before using these on the job.

They will be no stranger to our Technology Centre, which is fully equipped with the latest tools and machinery to perfect their craft. Our expert tutors will guide them through the apprenticeship and we’ve no doubt it will be the beginning of a long and successful career for them all.

A bright future for our Technology Centre One of the most exciting things currently happening at the college is the expansion to our Technology Centre.

We have people travel from all across the North West to study in this state-of-the-art building - and we’re so excited that it’s only getting bigger and better!

During the design process we have found it extremely beneficial to link up with the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute. AMPI have offered us really valuable advice on the project, as well as on how we can

further enhance our curriculum offer to tackle the skills gap and ensure continued opportunities for students.

We really look forward to working alongside AMPI in the future, particularly as we focus on how we can work with schools to give pupils a better understanding of engineering from a young age.

Get into work We offer a range of free courses to help people gain new skills, build their confidence and get back to work.

Our 1-2 week-long courses give people the helping hand needed to apply for jobs in the following sectors:

Free online courses Add to your skillset with a FREE online course. A perfect stepping stone in your personal and professional life Stand out in your current role or get ahead of other in an entirely new job!

• Construction • Call Centres • Adult Health and Social Care • Hospitality

Find out more today: e. workandskills@hopwood.ac.uk t. 0161 654 4373

• Leadership and Management • Digital and IT • Home Working • Health and Care • Health and Well-being Discover our full offer today: hopwood.ac.uk

Helping partners adjust and transition There isn’t a single business or organisation that hasn’t faced some challenge as a result of the pandemic.

This includes the community-serving charity The Brick, who offer valuable services to those who are homeless, in poverty or facing debt crisis.

The Brick reviewed their entire training programme following the outbreak of COVID and discovered that it needed to better suit the needs of the people they work with.

Their team approached us to be their training provider, citing our credentials and reputation as the driving factor.

We’re happy to report that we’ve formed a brilliant partnership that’s resulted in so many benefits.

Wendy Doherty, Training and Business Manager at The Brick, said: “Hopwood, unlike other training providers, tailored the training course by reducing the course duration to make learning achievable for some of the people we work with who may have had little or a poor experience in previous education settings.”

We’re thrilled to have been able to offer our expert services in this way and we’re looking forward to working with The Brick in future!

Making people work-ready There are so many amazing stories from people who feel confident and work-ready after completing a course at the college.

Take, for example, this one success story about a learner who now works for MW Fulfilment.

Resma studied one of our Pre-Employment courses and was over the moon with how much she’d learned. Once the course finished, she felt ready to finally seize the job opportunities that had been eluding her and is now a Level 3 apprentice at the Bolton-based company that offers warehousing and fulfilment solutions.

She said: “I have gained so much from these classes and found the tutors to be fantastic. I appreciate what you have all done for me by giving me the chance to gain skills for my employment ahead.”

We love these kinds of success stories and expect there to be many more in the future!

WORKPLACE-READY STUDENTS READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Thank you to our Animal Academy sponsors This summer we had the privilege of launching our Animal Academy. This saw us offer three consecutive weeklong adventures for school pupils who aspire to work with animals.

Those 13 - 16-year-olds who took part in the programme were absolutely thrilled to learn about and care for the wildlife we home at our Middleton Campus, including exotic creatures such as meerkats, wallabies, snowy owls and armadillos.

We were so pleased to be able to offer this fabulous opportunity to a number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. These scholarships were made possible thanks to some amazing local companies, including headline sponsor Crystal Doors.

Other sponsors who made these places possible include Yelloway, Sign UK, Reed, DDA Projects, XMA and Tenet Education Services. We’d like to send a big thanks to all these brilliant partners!

Animal Academy will be back by popular demand in October half term. If you would like to help build futures and are interested in sponsoring the programme, please contact us at BusinessLink@hopwood.ac.uk.

HOPWOOD HALL COLLEGE

HOPWOOD HALL COLLEGE

College earns MP’s vote to train his new apprentice Earlier this year we were approached by Chris Clarkson, MP for Heywood and Middleton, to train his new apprentice. Mr Clarkson said that the college’s reputation for ‘championing the skills agenda’ was the driving force behind his choice.

We worked alongside Mr Clarkson to ensure that the best candidates came forward to the fill the role of Level 3 Business Administrator. The position was successfully filled and Mr Clarkson was thrilled with the experience.

He said: “I can’t praise Hopwood Hall College enough for their dedication to quality apprenticeships. The team are engaged, dedicated and knowledgeable - ensuring a prospective employer is matched to a diverse, enthusiastic and capable group of candidates.

“Having recruited for my own team through Hopwood Hall, I’d have no hesitation in recommending them to employers big and small who are seeking an apprentice to join their team.

“William joined the team a couple of weeks ago and is doing great! He graduates early December and then I will be in touch to get going with the apprenticeship!”

T Levels Employers Campaign Guidelines

We’d like to encourage other employers to get in touch with your training and recruitment needs. Together, we’ll make sure you can develop your workforce and continue to grow your business.

Frame 2

Be sure to contact us at EmployerServices@hopwood.ac.uk

Top 3 ways your business will benefit from the T-Level difference 1. Designed with employers to ensure students have the skills and insight your business needs 2. Students bring fresh energy and thinking into your business 3. You’re helping shape the next generation workforce

Frame 3

Why should you employ an apprentice for your business?

We’ve worked alongside local businesses to train more than 400 apprentices over the past couple of years.

These highly motivated individuals - who come from all different age groups and with various skillsets - have brought a fresh perspective into their workplace that has allowed the whole team to prosper.

This is just one reason why you’re right to be thinking about taking on an apprentice or transitioning a current member of staff onto an apprenticeship.

Other benefits to enjoy include that you can reduce staff turnover by investing in their training and development, cut recruitment costs by growing talent from within the business, and increase business productivity through an improved bottom line.

Just some of the apprenticeships vacancies we currently have are Business Administration Apprentice,

IT Service Desk Apprentice, and Manufacturing Operative Apprentice.

As an approved provider of apprenticeships, we deliver training in our specialist facilities – in the process instilling skills in your apprentice that they can then bring back to your workplace.

We’ll work with you to identify the work-based training that will fit with your business needs and ensure the apprentice gains the desired skillset that you need for your workforce.

Finally, we’re happy to advise you on the financial incentives that you can take advantage of for taking on an apprentice.

Amongst the incentives includes £1,000 for any employer who hires an apprentice aged 16 -18.

Ultimately, whatever your reason for taking on an apprentice, we’re sure you’ll reap the rewards in no time whatsoever!

For more information, be sure to contact: e. Apprenticeships@hopwood.ac.uk t. 0161 654 4373

Apprenticeships ...we’ve got this!

Energise your business with an apprentice apprenticeships@hopwood.ac.uk hopwood.ac.uk

Employer Services Work with us to explore how we could help you grow your business

Applications Portrait motion design

Frame 4

• Short courses • Online learning packages • Flexible learning packages • Professional qualifications • Bespoke courses tailored to meet your individual business needs delivered at a time and location 34 to suit you • Industry specific training • Access to funding • Apprenticeships

Frame 5

Employer Available Schemes Employer Commitment

Employer Incentive

Apprenticeship

•

£3,000* for any aged apprentice until 31st Jan 2022

(*only for newly hired apprentices starting their apprenticeship before 31st Jan 2022

Industry Placements: T-Levels

•

£1,000 for any employer who hires a 16 – 18-year-old

•

95% funding for non-levy companies

•

100% funding for 16-18-year-olds (non-levy)

FREE SERVICE • •

•

• • • •

• •

Identifying future talent Business support in peak times •

Employed 30 hours per week min (including their time in College ifstated in the delivery model) Apprenticeship wages Mentoring the apprentice Help provide 20% off the job training Depending on if you pay the apprenticeship levy, employers also pay a 5% co-investment towards the cost of training (19+) Contract of employment No cost (unless you wish to pay the young person a wage or payment for expenses such as travel and subsistence) Provide work placement

Apprentices job experien learning • They can be • Apprentices at least 20% of your busin and behavio apprenticesh https://www.hop apprenticeships employers •

• • •

Kickstart scheme

•

£1,500* to cover the costs of employability training and on the job, start-up costs – these can include: uniform, safety equipment, IT equipment and other practical materials.

• •

No cost Provide work placement

•

*Only applicable for employers who can provide a min of 30 job placements, unless paired with a Kickstart Gateway

Sector-based Work Academy Programme

FREE SERVICE • • • •

Traineeships

•

Recruitment Pre-employment training for applicants Tailored support to meet your recruitment needs Quick/Easy access to local talent £1,000 per person (up to 10 incentivepayments per employer, per region) for employers offering traineeship work placements between 1st Sept 2020 and 31st Jul 2021.

•

Designed to T- Level qua the workplac T-Levels com placements higher-level Industry plac further flexib educational

Designed fo claiming Un unemployme 100% of the training to d sustained em

https://www.go scheme • • •

No cost Provide work placement Guarantee job interview

•

• •

•

•

No cost (unless you wish to pay the young person a wage or payment for expenses such as travel and subsistence) Provide work placement

•

• •

Designed to recruitment skills to sust It is availabl 19 SWAP’s pro individual a after their pl

Work – base employment have an EH qualification Training pro Traineeship maintain the

r Initiatives

Overview

ships are jobs that combine practical on-thence and training with sustained off-the-job

Scheme Duration

Outcome & Progression

A minimum of 12 months, up to 60 months for the longest higher and degree apprenticeships.

An apprenticeship can lead to:

o give a person aged 16 - 19 (who is studying a alification) the skills and knowledge to get on in ce mbine classroom learning with industry to prepare young people for skilled work or study. cements are based in the workplace, with bility for some sectors and students with special needs and disabilities.

Min 45 days spent on an industry placement

A young person could progress onto:

or people aged 16 - 24 who are out of work, niversal Credit and at risk of long-term ent. eir time is spent in the workplace with in-work develop transferable skills to increase their mployment chances.

26 weeks

A young person could progress onto:

e to up-skill existing staff and bring in new talent s spend 80% of their time in the workplace and % off-the-job (in a setting that suits the needs ness) to gain the relevant knowledge, skills ours that are needed to complete/achieve the hip pwood.ac.uk/searchs/apprenticeships-for-

• • •

• • •

• • •

Longer-term employment within a recognised occupation Further/Higher education and higher apprenticeships Many apprentices stay with their employer, building on the skills gained during their apprenticeship

Apprenticeship Longer-term employment Further/Higher earning/training opportunity – although this is not a requirement of a placement.

Apprenticeship Longer-term employment Further/Higher earning/training opportunity – although this is not a requirement of a placement.

ov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-

o help meet your immediate and future needs and to recruit a workforce with the right tain and grow your business le to anyone receiving out of work benefits over

2 – 6 Weeks

The individual could progress onto: • • •

ovide a real opportunity to decide whether an good fit for an apprenticeship in your business lacement.

ed pathway programme to apprenticeships and t for people aged 16 - 24 (or up to age 25 if they HCP Plan) with no higher than a level 3 n. ovider delivers: maths, English and digital skills ps are not jobs, but trainees who are eligible can eir entitlement to benefits whilst on a traineeship.

Employers deliver the work placement lasting 70 – 240 hours

Apprenticeship Longer-term employment College, University or similar learning/training opportunities

The trainee could progress onto: • • •

An apprenticeship, Employment Further education or a Kickstart placement where an employment opportunity is not available (those claiming Universal Credit)or work.

We want to hear from YOU We are ambitious in what we want to achieve and we’re always looking for equally ambitious partners to bring our ideas to life.

That’s why we’d like to encourage you to get in touch.

Please do let us know your news, your plans and your successes.

borough – and we’d like to help spread the word about the ways in which you’re innovating and making strides in your industry.

We pride ourselves on having our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the business world across the

Get in touch: BusinessLink@hopwood.ac.uk

Welcome to our new Director of Employer Partnerships and Adult Skills Robert Marshall-Slater Joining Hopwood Hall College Robert brings 20 years of further education knowledge from three different colleges with extensive knowledge and experience of curriculum departments, he has also taught and managed apprenticeship provision at an Ofsted Outstanding FE college.

Having worked as a Chef in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Bermuda, London, held 3 AA rosettes as a chef and been a finalist in Young Chef of the Year, Robert has had a solid culinary background. He has also owned two businesses employing apprentices and has a strong commercial and academic background achieving an MBA in 2015. He was a member of the T-Level panel for hospitality and is a member of the Institute of Apprenticeship Route Panel and an Ofqual industry expert. Welcome on board Robert! Contact Robert Marshall-Slater, Director of Employer Partnerships and Adult Skills t: 07882 843 298 e: rob.marshall-slater@hopwood.ac.uk

Make a difference to your business by recruiting students with the skills to thrive in your industry