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I was keen to be involved with the National Skills Academy as it offers solutions to many of the issues I have been fighting about since I became involved in the public arena since I first dipped my toe into the murky waters of public sector training and development bodies. Eventually finding my way to the Furniture Board of Proskills, where finally the government had appeared to understand that employers know what they need and it would be a good idea to listen by making the the Sector Skills Councils employer lead. The logical off shoot of this is a skills provider run on a similar basis, hence The National Skills Academy for Materials, Production and Supply.

The new board was put in place last month and I was pleased to have been approached to be the furniture representative. The aims of the Academy are clearly stated and relevant to employers needs as this extract from the website shows.

“The Academy is tasked with the development of wide range of products and services to drive business improvements and to support the sustainability of our industries. All products will be trialled, tested and endorsed by employers from across the sector. Product and Service development will be in response to real employer demand only. All our products and services will deliver a measurable bottom line improvement to businesses.”

This is a refreshing change from previous years and we should applaud the Government for listening and delivering a new direction for skills and business improvement.

As a company we have taken an active part in developing the Profile tool. This tool has been designed to help employers to drive up business performance through the effective management of the skills of their workforce. Web-based, it allows assessment of the skills competencies of individuals and teams, identification of gaps and management of effective training and development. Profile provides an excellent benchmarking tool against recognised industry standards.

A further business tool is the PAC. This is a business tool that improves business productivity and competitiveness and positively impacts the bottom line. Commencing with a detailed and factual diagnostic of core business functions, it identifies priority areas for improvement, and sets about delivering quantifiable improvements through process change coupled with staff up-skilling. The development of standardised processes and increased skill levels are proven to ensure the sustainability of business improvements.

I would recommend anyone to investigate the Sector Skills Council and Academy linked to their business sector. It would appear that the days of unfit government imposed programmes are long gone. Take advantage before your competitors beat you to it.

http://www.mps-academy.com/