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College offers blended learning to local businesses

North East Worcestershire College is creating an additional revenue stream by offering local companies a range of blended learning programmes on key business skills.

The programmes, developed by blended learning provider Balance Learning, cover issues such as leadership, customer service, presentations, coaching, influencing skills and performance management.

"We researched the needs of local businesses and found that the majority want to improve staff skills through training but they don't want their employees to be away from the workplace for long periods," said Derek Street, who heads North East Worcestershire College's Department for Professional Studies. "These new blended learning programmes enable us to meet the demand for short, flexible training."

Each Balance Learning programme includes an online learning course, a complementary ready-to-run classroom workshop and post-event workplace activities.

North East Worcestershire College is also offering the Balance programmes to its students and staff. For example, the teambuilding, communications and presentation skills programmes will be used as part of the new CIPD Certificate in Training Practices qualification. The students will study the online elements in their own time and come together once or twice a week for the workshops.

"These programmes are like a restaurant menu that tutors can choose from to supplement their own courses," said Street. "I can also see all our student advice and guidance staff going through customer service and our programme managers going through team building and leadership. The presentation skills programme has very wide and obvious appeal. Another benefit is that if a student is ill and misses a vital team leadership lecture, he or she can catch up with the knowledge element quickly and easily using the online course."

North East Worcestershire College is based in Bromsgrove and Redditch and has 22,000 students. The college is a Centre of Vocational Excellence and employs 500 full and part time staff, with an additional 200 on an agency basis.

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