Home > News > May 2005 > 25-May-2005

Training Foundation announces Ready for Work - a free online learning programme for young people entering the workplace

The Training Foundation has announced a national online learning initiative. Aimed at preparing young entrants to the workplace to become responsible employees, the Ready for Work online training programme is free to all young people in (or recently in) full-time education and those in modern apprenticeships.

Ready for Work comprises 12 online courses including:

• Showing respect at work
• Embracing diversity
• Being enterprising
• Managing workplace stress
• Health & safety
• Following drugs & alcohol policies
• Sensible email and Internet use
• Data protection
• Being a responsible employee

The initiative has been welcomed by leading figures in business and education. Sir Richard Branson, who set up a Student Advisory Centre when just 17 years of age, said: "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. I welcome the Ready for Work programme. Co-operation between employers and educators on initiatives like this can do nothing but good."

John Brown, Development Director at learndirect, said: "With the debate about respect getting into full swing this week, Ready for Work could not have been launched at a better time. Skills and training have a key role to play in breaking down divisions between the younger and the older generation, and between the employed and the unemployed."

Sir Digby Jones, Director General of the CBI also welcomed the Ready for Work initiative. He said: "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 Ready for Work programme will help to bridge this gap."

Accessible over the Internet from The Training Foundation’s online learning portal, each self-study course ends with a short test to check the learner’s understanding.

Achieving an 80% 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). Certificates are awarded by ABC (Awarding Body Consortium).

Commenting on the Ready for Work programme, David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said: "The British Chambers of Commerce welcomes the Ready for Work initiative. Employers regularly report to us difficulties in recruiting staff with suitable skills and who are ready for work. We need initiatives such as Ready for Work, which can help to ensure that young people leaving full-time education and training are equipped with skills that are both relevant for the workplace and will help advance their careers."

Roger Opie, Heads, Teachers and Industry (HTI) Trust Director, also welcomed the programme: "HTI readily endorses Ready for Work. Since its start in 1986 HTI has been driven by business with a clear objective to raise awareness of employability issues amongst young people.

"The partnership between business and education is critical in raising the employability stakes for young people. An understanding of the skills and behaviours required in the workplace is a shared responsibility. This free programme provides both the content and motivation to complement existing initiatives."

Nick Mitchell, Chief Executive of The Training Foundation (right), said: "The launch of Ready for Work realises a personal ambition. I have long felt that our educational system has got its tenses mixed up; it’s too focused on the past, at the expense of the present and the future.

"By providing young people with an awareness of what employers will expect of them as they start out on their working lives, the Ready for Work programme fills a void. It will build young people’s self confidence, allay their natural anxieties, and generally make the transition to employment a more pleasurable experience. And as the Programme has been positively received by the UK’s two leading employer bodies, the CBI and the BCC, a Ready for Work Certificate may even assist young people to find suitable employment by demonstrating their awareness, ability and initiative. We encourage prospective employers to recognise this Certification as a valuable indicator of the applicant’s employability."

"Of course, there are also many advantages to employers in helping new recruits to be sensibly prepared when they start work. It reduces risk. It shortens induction training and settling-in time. It brings forward the ability to make a productive contribution. And aside from the obvious commercial self-interest, helping young people to smooth their transition into the workplace is something that all responsible employers would wish to do.

Mitchell concluded; "We invite tutors and teachers with students shortly moving into the workplace to use the Ready for Work programme to complement their existing activities in this area. A Tutor Guide is downloadable from www.readyforwork.org to assist in facilitating classroom discussion to support individual learning. Those responsible for the care of modern apprentices may also make use of this free programme. If we can make the programme even more accessible to relevant audiences, we will be pleased to do so."

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Ready for Work

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