Quality counts

May 21 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

EMPLOYERS and training providers have joined forces to formally launch an innovative new standard, designed and endorsed by employers, which will recognise and highlight excellence among training providers.

The Training Quality Standard was developed to give employers a simple benchmark for choosing training provision.

Achieving the standard demonstrates providers’ ability to offer high quality training at a time and place to suit employers – setting them apart from the competition and making it easy for employers to find the right training solutions for them.

During the assessment process, training providers are assessed against two key criteria: provider responsiveness to employer needs and provider excellence in a particular vocational area.

Officially launching the Training Quality Standard, skills minister David Lammy congratulated 31 new providers from across the country who have recently achieved the standard.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Lammy said: “Training is at the heart of any successful enterprise and by bringing training providers and employers together to deliver economically valuable skills and qualifications we will make high quality training accessible for all. The Training Quality Standard will be a mark that employers can trust and I hope many more providers will, in time, go on to achieve it.”

A unique attribute of the Training Quality Standard is that it is not attached to public funding or investment and is open to both publicly and privately funded organisations providing workforce training solutions at all levels.

Already 70 providers have started the application process for the Training Quality Standard with 31 accredited.