Inverness College UHI delivers IT training to housebuilder
Inverness College UHI has teamed up with Tulloch Homes to deliver IT training to its staff.
Computing lecturer Gordon MacPherson visited Tulloch Homes at its headquarters at Stoneyfield in Inverness to provide a series of one-day courses after the university supported the company to apply for government funding through the Flexible Development Workforce Fund.
Around 30 members of staff have attended the courses, run over a six week period, which included training on Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Lorna Cameron, Tulloch Homes’ HR and Payroll Director, said the courses had been extremely beneficial for staff.
“Tulloch Homes is committed to offering training and continued personnel development to employees to ensure we keep up with changes and improve any skills gaps within the business,” she said. “Our training team sources grants and funding opportunities and constantly ensures we train and retrain any new and current employees. We were delighted to have the opportunity to work and secure funding in partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands, who have trained 30 of our employees through several courses at our office. The trainer has been approachable, patient and highly engaging along with assisting all of the staff whom have been at varied competency levels.”
Inverness College UHI works with Tulloch Homes throughout the year to provide training and qualifications to apprentices and site managers.
The Flexible Development Workforce Fund was set up to allow businesses who pay into the UK Apprenticeship Levy to up-skill and re-skill their workforce. Businesses were invited to bid for funding through Colleges. Through the fund, Inverness College UHI is working with more than 25 businesses in the Highlands and Islands to deliver courses to meet their training needs, with courses ranging from IT to Health and Safety and Project Management.
Georgina Parker, Director of Business Development at Inverness College UHI, said: “Our Business Solutions team can support businesses who pay into the levy to apply for up to £10,000 worth of funded training through the Flexible Development Workforce Fund."
Diane Rawlinson, Vice Principal (Further Education) at the University of the Highlands and Islands, added: "The university partners are working with businesses in the Highlands and Islands to develop applications for funding and deliver a wide range of training and qualifications. There’s still time for businesses who pay into the levy to benefit from a total of £860,000 worth of funding across the university partnership, as the deadline for applications has been extended until June 2018.”
Inverness College UHI runs a range of short courses to meet the needs of businesses. For more information about short courses, or to find out about the Flexible Development Workforce Fund, visit www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/business-and-training or telephone our Business Solutions team on 01463 273 666.