Ayrshire College is Open for Business
Colleges have adapted quickly to the unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19, and have taken swift action to protect staff and students’ wellbeing, contributing to the national effort to tackle the virus and support communities.
Providing additional training and skills for Scotland will be essential in the economic recovery. Ayrshire College is ideally placed to play a key role in the wider economic response and the recovery to come, in particular upskilling and retraining individuals and businesses.
What can the college do to support business in their economic recovery?
Working with a range of local employers, covering everything from the aerospace industry, to healthcare, STEM recruitment and global engineering, Ayrshire College provides a range of upskilling and reskilling opportunities through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF).
What is Ayrshire College doing to help Ayrshire business?
Ayrshire College is already working with employers to identify the role that they can play in supporting businesses to address their immediate and future needs post COVID-19.
We asked Ayrshire College’s Principal, Carol Turnbull, her thoughts on the role that Ayrshire College plays in supporting local businesses post Covid-19.
Carol said “The Deputy First Minister John Swinney praised the vital national and community roles Scotland’s colleges are playing to support our students, staff, and local communities during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Colleges will play an essential part in economic recovery by supporting businesses in training, upskilling, reskilling, innovation and co-design of business systems and processes. Come and talk to us and see how we can help you.”
The local employers we work with had this to say about the fund and our working relationship:
GE Caledonian - Ayrshire College has been providing digital skills training.
“The FWDF has enabled our business to upskill employees enabling them to keep abreast of technology in an ever-changing world with no additional financial outlay to the business. It has enabled the business to upskill several staff with changing technologies and also improve their digital skills.”
NHS Ayrshire and Arran - Ayrshire College has been providing leadership and management training as well as digital skills training.
“Through the funding made available, we have been able to support current staff to enable them to extend their skills and knowledge base in practice to improve their performance in service provision. It has helped us to upskill current staff to improve personal knowledge and understanding through professional practice.”
SThree - Ayrshire College has been providing leadership and management training as well as helping to enhance their digital, problem solving and people skills.
“Helps us Invest in Excellence. The training has supported our own training plan to invest in a pipeline of new managers, building capability in Excel, project management skills and Office 365”
MAHLE Engine Systems UK Ltd - Ayrshire College providing technical skills training as well as digital and people management skills.
“Any additional support for employee development of any kind is both welcome and necessary. Allows us to consider training that we would otherwise not be able to afford or accommodate”
The Business Growth Team at Ayrshire College offers a one-stop-shop for skills training across the region, delivering virtual, face-to-face, accredited and non-accredited courses.
Engage and motivate your staff, upskill or reskill your existing workforce, while bringing great benefits to your organisation.
Check out the range of high quality training that Ayrshire College offers here
Join us for our Flexible Workforce Development Fund Virtual Business event on 24 September from 9am to 10.30am. Levy paying companies can register by contacting businessgrowth@ayrshire.ac.uk
