WHAT BUSINESSES SAY
Our Success is Your Success.
Don't just take our word for it - let us tell you about our success stories.
We are proud to say that many of the businesses we work with have given us great feedback on the training and support we offer them. Choose from the companies below to discover what they needed, the training solutions we offered them and the benefits they have gained.
MOTOR VEHICLE INDUSTRY
“The college is brilliant and are always there when I need them. They find the Apprentices for me and interview them as they know we are a busy garage and want the best.”
“We now take on about one a year and keep most of them on, so it’s a very successful scheme. It’s a great way of giving young people a chance in life because at the moment, in this economic climate, they aren’t getting it from anywhere else.
“Our Apprentices make a really valuable contribution to our business and with the support of the college are gaining the theory they need while also building up their on the job experience.
“In fact, I would put the success of the business down to our Apprentices.”
Pat Wright, owner of Cannock Road Garages in Wolverhampton
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
The Wrekin Housing Trust is constantly striving to help improve the skill set of its staff. With this in mind, 12 Supported Housing scheme managers chose to study for a NVQ in Business and Administration at the college.
Chosen for its great reputation, dedicated tutor-student rapport and excellent reputation throughout the West Midlands, the college lived up to its name with the 12 students each receiving their NVQ certificates last month.
Wendy Bostock was just one of the students who enrolled. She said: “I am so pleased with my achievement. I feel that the course has been a great investment in terms of time and development.
“I know that my fellow colleagues would join me in saying just how professional and dedicated the staff are. Overall it’s a great investment that has developed those skills I wanted to improve, I am really pleased with the result.”
Set over a five week period, the course was split into manageable chunks and included five workshops that were carried out at the Trust in Telford.
HOSPITALITY
“The college are extremely helpful and they make things so easy for both myself and the students.
“By employing staff through the college I know I am gaining staff who want a career in the Hospitality industry. It makes my job easier because my staff have already made a commitment to work in the hospitality industry and have the ability to accept the demands of the job.
“I’ve also found that trainees are more likely to stay with my business because they value the time I have invested in them.
“The Apprenticeship and Train to Gain schemes are great for our business and really help reduce our training costs.”
Alex Abdel-all owner of Alex’s Restaurant & Café Bar in Wolverhampton
ACCOUNTANCY SECTOR
Audit and Accountancy firm Lancaster Clements Limited have been operating in Bilston, Wolverhampton, for almost 70 years and have been recruiting Accountancy Apprentices for over 20 years. Lancaster Clements is a thriving organisation which is run by a team of commercial people.
Director Dilip Patidar said:
“We pride ourselves on the quality of service that we deliver to all our clients and by using the Apprenticeship Programme we are able to recruit and train our employees using our training methods. In fact, our current Audit and Accounts Manager initially started here as an Apprentice.”Current Apprentice, Chelsea Hennefer said: “I started sixth form but didn’t feel I was enhancing my skills and decided to apply for an Apprenticeship which I’m really enjoying and feel I am now combining the practical with the written which I believe will help me to improve my numeric skills.
“People have qualifications and sometimes search for years for a job, but I will have the benefit of both - a qualification and a job with the Apprenticeship Programme.”
CATERING SECTOR
Salim Hussain, who owns Indian restaurant Cafe Rickshaw in Wolverhampton is currently studying towards his NVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink.
Salim enrolled on the course because he wanted to gain official recognition of the skills he already had as well as gain extra knowledge.
He said: “Studying towards the qualification has definitely made me more passionate about my role and given me more confidence.
“I know a lot more than what I used to, such as what wine goes with what dish.
“The course fitted in very well with my work. It was all done in the workplace with an assessor coming out every few weeks to see how I worked and how I was developing.
“I now want to put everything I have learnt into practice before I consider studying towards the next level.
“After seeing the benefits of the course for myself, I am also planning for one of my team to study towards the Level 2 qualification. Eventually I hope to have all my staff fully trained so I can aim for the Investors in People Award - that would definitely put me ahead of other restaurants in the area and make me stand out.”
Assessor Heidi Nicholls said: “Salim is keen for all his staff to complete the NVQ and has used his new skills to develop ideas and knowledge with the vision of increasing customer service and business.”IT
Publishing software developer Press Computer Systems, which manages the IT systems at newspaper the Express and Star, has been employing Apprentices through City of Wolverhampton College for several years and finds the programme an invaluable way of gaining staff with the specialist skills they need.
Head of Managed Services Simon Welch said: "There's not the courses out there for software developers so we decided the only way we could get the staff we needed was to grow our own.
" We took on an Apprentice and it went so well he was offered a full-time job and we now intend to employ an Apprentice on a regular basis.
"The scheme was a low risk way of bringing someone into the business and growing them into a role that could be there in a few years time. So far they have slotted in perfectly and our one Apprentice is starting to develop and contribute to the development of our software portfolio.
"The selection process the college put them through must work because the candidates were exceptional and it saved us going through hundreds of CVs.
That service in itself was worth its weight in gold.
"I would definitely recommend the apprenticeship scheme it's worked for us."
Courses are flexible enabling each student to progress at their own pace within the constraints of their working hours. Each student has a tutor assigned to them to give individual advice and feedback which is delivered in one to one sessions.
Employers across the West Midlands can take advantage of specialised employee training programmes with us. The College is one of the leading employee training providers and has a dedicated Employer Services team currently working with hundreds of organisations across the West Midlands.
Call the Employer Services team on 01902 317691 or email employerenquiries@wolvcoll.ac.uk.
A member of our dedicated team will be pleased to discuss your needs, answer your questions, and arrange for a follow-up call or visit from an Account Manager at a time to suit you.