Skills pledge

Dorchester company, Poundbury Systems Ltd, has announced that it has signed up to the Skills Pledge to help build the skills of its growing workforce.

The Skills Pledge is a government funded initiative launched by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to ensure that employees are skilled, competent and able to make a full contribution to the success of their organisation.

Poundbury Systems Ltd, established in 2001, specialise in the design, installation and support of IT and telephony systems, working in partnership with customers to increase their efficiency and to keep them up to date with all areas of their business communications.

The company’s staff base has grown from just two members to 10 in the past few years and looks set to continue that trend in the future.

Clare Jenkins, director for Poundbury Systems Ltd, says:
“Poundbury Systems Ltd signed up to the Skills Pledge in September 2007 because we had realised the importance of having well trained staff at ground level. We consider our staff our most important asset and commit large amounts of time and money to training. We have Investor in People status and take on apprentices every year. We also have extremely good links with all the local schools and regularly go in to show them the benefits of a career in I.T and the job paths that are available to them.

“When we take on a new apprentice, we train them to NVQ Level 2 standard before we even start training them in their specialised field. It’s one thing to say you are supportive of training young people with lasting qualifications, but another to do something about it. We wanted to be seen taking part in this scheme and hopefully it will spur on other businesses to do the same.”

With an ever developing business, Poundbury Systems Ltd is always under pressure to keep up with a market that is constantly evolving. The company recently met with the British Chambers of Commerce and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, along with 10 other companies from around the country. They talked about the UK skills issues and shortages and how these related directly to the training of young apprentices in various businesses.

Poundbury Systems Ltd is also a Premier Partner member of Dorset Business, part of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and so actively seeks to maintain and improve its business practice and support other companies in the local area.

The Skills Pledge is open to all employers of all sizes in the private, public and voluntary sectors, and the Government will provide funding to enable organisations to support staff to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills as well as their first full Level 2 qualification.

If you are an employer interested in improving the skills of your business, call Train to Gain or to talk to a Skills Broker, visit http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/employers/skillspledge.htm.

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