Serco Selected to Deliver Skills Programme to Support SMEs in Coventry and Warwickshire

Serco’s Employment, Skills & Enterprise business has been selected by the Skills Funding Agency to deliver two new Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) contracts, providing training, to help upskill the workforce of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Under the 18-month programme, Serco will work in partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to support growth across all sectors by providing basic skills training including literacy and numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), employment skills such as communication and team working, and vocationally specific qualifications. Intermediate and Higher level skills training including IT, leadership and management training, as well as vocationally-relevant courses will also be available in the following priority areas, helping to boost the wider, regional economy in Coventry and Warwickshire:

  • Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering
  • Construction
  • Retail
  • Digital
  • Logistics
  • Education

As part of the SSW programme, co-funded by the European Social Fund and the Skills Funding Agency, Serco will work with a number of expert training providers to offer recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses aiming to enhance employees’ skills, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and boost the local economy.

SSW, eligible businesses can benefit from fully funded training, tailored to their specific needs. Fully-flexible training takes place at employees’ workplace and businesses can select full qualifications or mix and match individual units that are directly relevant to their work. Previous SSW programme participants have benefited from increased employee confidence, motivation and productivity and improved employee loyalty and retention.

Gareth Moss, Serco’s Director for Employment, Skills and Enterprise, said:

“I am delighted that Serco has been selected by the Skills Funding Agency to manage the new SSW programme in Coventry and Warwickshire. We have previously delivered the SSW programme in a number of areas and are grateful that the SFA has trusted us once again to deliver this important service. So far we have supported over 1,500 businesses with training for their workforce and over 6,000 employees have benefited from our support, and we’re looking forward to working in partnership with the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP and our providers to enable many more to take advantage of this brilliant opportunity.”

Rachael Stewart, Skills Executive at Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: 

“We are pleased to be working in partnership with Serco to deliver the Skills Support for the Workforce across Coventry and Warwickshire. With unemployment rates at their lowest, skills development is absolutely critical in ensuring that employees sustain in work, feel valued and are empowered to hone their skills and climb the career ladder. This funding offers a brilliant opportunity not only to support our workforce, but also to meet the needs of local businesses and enable them to grow and be as competitive as possible.”

Serco is also delivering the SSW programme in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Heart of the South West (Devon and Somerset), Dorset, Swindon and Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, South East Midlands, Worcestershire, Stoke and Staffordshire.

Businesses can contact CW Growth Hub on support@cwgrowthhub.co.uk for more details and to find out if they are eligible for funded training through Skills Support for the Workforce