Ready for Work initiative launched

Citation

(2005), "Ready for Work initiative launched", Education + Training, Vol. 47 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2005.00447gab.002

Ready for Work initiative launched

The Training Foundation has announced a national online learning initiative, the Ready for Work online training programme, which is free to all young people in (or recently in) full-time education and those in modern apprenticeships. Aimed at preparing young entrants to the workplace to become responsible employees, Ready for Work comprises 12 online courses focused on building awareness of employment issues of major concern to today’s employers. Subjects covered include showing respect at work, embracing diversity, being enterprising, managing workplace stress, health and safety, following drugs and alcohol policies, sensible e-mail and internet use, data protection and being a responsible employee. Accessible over the internet from the Training Foundation’s online learning portal (see www.readyforwork.org), each self-study course ends with a short test to check the learner’s understanding. Achieving an 80 per cent or better grade on the programme qualifies the student for an optional Ready for Work certificate and Ready for Work handbook, at an administration fee of £10.

Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson welcomed the programme, saying: “My view is that both secondary and university education fail to foster entrepreneurial ambition. We need our young people, on which the country’s future prosperity depends, to be equipped with an appreciation of business, so that they can set out with a spirit of enterprise. Co-operation between employers and educators on initiatives like this can do nothing but good.”

Sir Digby Jones, Confederation of British Industry director-general, commented: “The CBI shares the Training Foundation’s aim of raising skill levels to boost national competitiveness. The challenge is to deliver what business needs. There is often a mismatch between the needs of employers and the qualifications that young people take with them into the workplace. We need more employable young people understanding the world of work, trained in the most relevant areas and able to add value to their employer. The programme will help to bridge this gap.”

Certificates are awarded by ABC (Awarding Body Consortium), a UK awarding body with full Qualifications Curriculum Authority (QCA) recognition. Nigel Florence, ABC executive director, said: “ABC welcomes the impact that well-designed online learning can have, and especially when used to help the development of our young people.”