Welcome to our April blog! We have so much happening in the Education & Training dept at SSG so here’s just a few highlights. Don’t forget to follow our social media for up to date information & announcements!
It’s been a couple of months since we last posted a blog update so there’s lots of exciting news to bring you. We’ve celebrated achievements, had fun, worked hard, said goodbye to familiar faces, hello to new ones & finished 2021 on a high!
CPD week
At the end of October, while our students enjoyed their week off for half term, all staff in the training company had a week focused on Professional Development. 2 days of this was spent with all areas joining together for industry specific training, either in person or virtually. We also were able to run a CPR & first aid refresher course, as well as an update on our safeguarding training. This was incredibly beneficial, both from the point of view of making sure everyone is up to date with current legislation & guidelines & but also to compare experiences, ideas & for general team bonding. We have an incredibly passionate & knowledgeable team of people so it’s always exciting & inspiring to get them in a room together!
Operational Team Review Day
We got all our tutors & managers together for an intensive review of standards & procedures ahead of the coming year, looking at 3 specific areas: quality of education; behaviour & attitudes & personal development. It’s such a pleasure to hear ideas & feedback from all staff & having days where we can get everyone together in one room like this is an important part of keeping our standards high & our courses relevant.
Step into Self Employment…
We had the great pleasure back in November to run the first pilot programme specifically aimed towards people setting themselves up as self employed.
We have now delivered 2 of these programmes, with the 3rd in progress at the time of blog publication. We have had over 25 candidates successfully complete the sessions, offering extremely positive feedback about how useful & relatable the guidance & advice was for them.
It’s always great to hear how one of our programmes has helped people improve their knowledge & increase their chance of success in their chosen area of interest. Step Into Self Employment is already proving to be incredibly valuable for those starting out on their business journeys & we look forward to helping many more people as the programme rolls out to more areas.
Kickstart Fair…
We loved hosting the Kickstart Fair in December, for potential employers to meet with candidates looking for employment. During the day, 10 people were offered jobs on the spot, with many more taking away information & ideas for the future. This is always an exciting & inspiring event, with our next one coming up in February.
SWAP…
Our Sector-based Work Academy Programmes continue to go from strength to strength, with new employers getting involved all the time. In the past few months, we have worked with Ralph Lauren, McGinnleys rail track maintenance, Smyths Toys & Sky. These 3 week courses prepare candidates for roles within these companies, offering employability & interview training, as well as training for specific roles.
By recruiting through a SWAP, employers can streamline their recruitment process while also receiving financial incentives to take on new staff. For candidates looking for a job, this is an excellent way of preparing to enter the world of work, with guidance for each step of the recruitment process & valuable advice & training for the role they are applying for. We have such an impressive rate of progression from these programmes & we also offer ongoing support to candidates who need to repeat the process or be signposted to alternative courses.
Step Into Customer Service…
We had a fantastic uptake on our recent customer service course, with 66 participants engaging with the programme & an incredible 25 of them (& counting…) already through to the interview stage for a job! Any candidates not achieving an interview in the first round will be well looked after, being offered the opportunity to repeat the process or access another course that interests them.
We know how amazing our tutors & managers are but getting feedback like this is always lovely & helps us realise the difference we are making to people’s lives:
“…I can honestly say this course has helped me immensely both mentally & giving confidence & new skills. Every tutor, every step of the way has genuinely cared we have the best outcome for our own personal goals… what a great opportunity you have given me.”
Goodbye…
At the end of the year, we said goodbye to Prisca, our Functional Skills lead. We wish her all the best for the future & thank her for the amazing job she has done with our young people in the time she was with us.
We also said goodbye to Dom from the business support team. Dom has been with SSG for many years, starting out as an apprentice but quickly becoming a popular & valued member of the whole SSG family. We wish him all the luck in his next step & will miss him lots.
Hello…
We wanted to take this opportunity to say welcome to 2 new members of staff who started a few weeks ago. It already feels like they’ve been here forever & they are already doing an amazing job. But what better way to get to know them a bit better than by asking some very important questions…?
Jodie Mychajliw
Job Role:
Operations Manager Work Based Learning
What was your first job?
Post Assistant Step n Pump
Where were you working before SSG?
Qube Learning – Skills Tutor
Do you have any pets?
I’m allergic to everything – well not fish
What is your favourite season? Autumn – warm jumpers, heating on, strolls with a hot chocolate
Any hidden talents?
Super Mum
What would you choose to give up forever if you had to pick between crisps or chocolate?
Chocolate
Have you ever met anyone famous?
Louis Emerick
What is your karaoke song?
I love Rock and Roll by Britney Spears
Falishia Channer
Job Role:
Operations Manager: Buckinghamshire
What was your first job?
Big W (Woolworths)
Where were you working before SSG?
Education Manager, Affinity
Do you have any pets?
No
What is your favourite season?
Summer
Any hidden talents?
Hmm, currently doing my grades on drums
What would you choose to give up forever if you had to pick between crisps or chocolate?
Crisps, chocolate is life!
Have you ever met anyone famous?
Richard Branson/ Kelly Holmes
What is your karaoke song?
Cher – Believe
Christmas Celebrations…
Here at SSG, we love any excuse to dress up, eat party food & let our hair down so our end of year celebrations were the perfect reason to do all 3, with lots of fun Christmas activities & a Christmas party for the staff & candidates at the Bedford Centre. Everyone really got into the spirit of it, with some very imaginative outfits & some even more imaginative dance moves (I’ve seen the videos!) It was a great way to end 2021 & we look forward to more fun in 2022.
Looking Forward…
I’ve been hearing about lots of exciting things coming up in the next few weeks, including the relaunch of our traineeships so look out for more news about that in our next blog.
