Fast Forward to textiles, clothing and footwear training

Citation

(2003), "Fast Forward to textiles, clothing and footwear training", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445fab.006

Fast Forward to textiles, clothing and footwear training

Fast Forward to textiles, clothing and footwear training

The Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) has launched a new training scheme for the textiles, clothing and footwear sectors. The Fast Forward programme will give manufacturers in the sector direct access to skills training to support changes to their businesses. The programme will meet up to 75 per cent of the training costs for these businesses – up to a total of £10,000 for any one employer. The scheme is being piloted by Skillfast-UK, the industry sector skills council, in partnership with the DTI, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Small Business Service (SBS) and the Department for Education and Skills. It will deliver training to employees in the sector, as companies work towards strategic change and delivering on their business plans.

Ivan Lewis, Minister for Young People and Adult Skills, said: "Fast Forward gives employers a simple, flexible training system that is responsive to their needs and provides a single point of contact for them to gain access to business advice and training. It also shows how the industries can work with their Sector Skills Council and Learning and Skills Council to shape high quality and relevant training provision."

The Fast Forward pilot will be administered by Skillfast-UK, which will act as the broker for businesses. The aim of the project is the development of a sustainable approach to business support and training provision for the industry. Approximately 50 employers in the sector will initially receive support through the scheme.

The objectives of Fast Forward are to:

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  support employers in the sector in implementing strategic business change, developing their workforce and improving future productivity, competitiveness and employment prospects within the industry;

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  improve the alignment between the LSC provider network and the training needs of the sector;

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  enhance the support that the Business Link network is able to provide for the sector;

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  increase employer engagement in training; and

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  increase the number of individuals achieving nationally recognized qualifications and see the expansion of transferable skills within the workforce.

Through bringing together all the key providers of training support, Fast Forward offers the scope to influence future mainstream provision of business training. The new package opens up the potential for the industry to work with the LSC to develop the quality, accessibility and range of provisions available.