We are currently undertaking a review of our website to ensure it continues to remain fit for purpose.

An integral part of this review has been the feedback obtained from a cross-section of learners at two focus groups which took place in April this year.

The first focus group was kindly hosted by Peacocks Medical Group at their Newcastle premises and was attended by 17 Peacock's staff on work-based training programmes with Access.

The other focus group was held at Access and we had learners attending from Jowett's, NJM Roofing and NEETA.

A big THANK YOU to all those who gave up their time to take part.

Photograph left to right: Francesca Tones, Jackie Howett (Account Co-ordinator, Geka) and Suzanne Miller (Skills Adviser, Access)

A North East based cosmetic brush manufacturer is made up with a specialist training programme which is improving team performance.

Geka, which operates from Stanley in County Durham, called in Access to support its long established apprenticeship programme. In addition to the traditional apprenticeships the company also set up a mentoring programme to support its learners.

Francesca Tones, 19 and from Tantobie, has been with Geka for just over a year and is the company's first commercial apprentice - working towards a Business Administration qualification. As well as the support of her Access Skills Adviser, she receives guidance from a number of mentors who guide her throughout the course.

We are pleased to announce that Issue 13 of our Newsletter is now available (please click on the link below to download a copy). The Newsletter contains information on what's been happening at Access in the past few months including some exciting new initiatives available for employers and learners.

Please contact us if you would like to receive a printed copy of the Newsletter.

Newsletter Edition 13 March 2010

Access Managing Director, Malcolm Armstrong being presented with the TQS plaque by BE-NE Chief Executive Alastair MacColl

A North East Training provider has joined an elite band of organisations to achieve the coveted Training Quality Standard (TQS).

Access is the first independent training provider in Tyne and Wear to gain the award and become recognised as a top provider of high quality, high impact training to employers. They were presented with the award by Alastair MacColl, Chief Executive of Business & Enterprise North East, at their Seaham headquarters.

Business & Enterprise North East is charged with helping to transform regional economies by providing efficient, effective and targeted support to new and existing businesses with the emphasis on exceptional customer service.

Managing Director, Malcolm Armstrong, commented: "We support the work of BE-NE by ensuring that our training provision is clearly focussed on meeting the needs of individual businesses and through that the regional economy as a whole. It was an extremely challenging process to achieve this award but we're delighted that we can now officially claim to be one of the UK's most effective deliverers of training.

Bespoke Concrete Products Apprentice Matty Rich (centre) gets a little help polishing one of the Olympic waymarkers from Production Manager Martin Kay and Access Business Solutions Consultant Mel Taylor

Concrete job offers have set a group of North East apprentices on the Olympic trail.

All employed at Bespoke Concrete Products, they will be working on projects that include the manufacture of polished concrete waymarkers, benches and special tree planters for the London Olympics.

Flood defence components, products for the building industry and highly polished concrete racking for wine cellars are also challenges being tackled by the expanding, Prudhoe based firm.

A management trainee who feared her learning wasted when her training provider went into administration is back on the career ladder thanks to Access Apprenticeships.

Michelle Cook, 23 and from Seaton Delaval was six months into a team leading apprenticeship when the recession claimed her training provider. Her prospects looked bleak until Access stepped in, arranging for her to pick up her training and continue working with David Gray Solicitors.

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Apprenticeship Week will take place from Monday 1 February to Friday 5 February 2010.
The Week, which is organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), will celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices. It will see apprentices, employers, providers and all those involved with Apprenticeships programmes come together to celebrate the value of Apprenticeships

Business Benefits of Apprenticeships

Earlier research, conducted to launch the first National Apprenticeship Week revealed:

• 77% of employers believe apprenticeships make them more competitive
• 76% say that apprenticeships provide higher overall productivity
• 80% feel that apprenticeships reduce staff turnover
• 83% of employers rely on their apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future
• Two-thirds of respondents believe that their apprenticeship programme helps them fill vacancies more quickly, whilst
• Over three-quarters of respondents expect apprenticeships to play a bigger part in their recruitment policy in the future.

Please go to http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk for more information on Apprenticeship Week 2010

The National Apprenticeship Service is providing up to 5000 Apprenticeship Grants of £2500 to encourage employers to take on unemployed 16-17 year olds as apprentices.

The £2500 grant is available until the end of March 2010 with small and medium sized businesses eligible to apply. The grant is in addition to the costs of training which are already met by the National Apprenticeship Service.

Contact Melody or Valerie (0191 4904651/2) who will be happy to discuss your requirements and provide further information on how to access the grant.

Having recently carried out our own learner survey we are now asking learners to take part in a national learner survey undertaken by the LSC. This survey captures the views of learners at colleges and training providers. Scores will be published nationally so that potential learners and employers can compare training providers based on learners' experiences.

We would greatly appreciate your support in taking the time to complete the online Learner Views Survey - it should only take 3 or 4 minutes of your time. For the survey results to be valid we need over an 80% response rate, so your participation is really important to Access.

Letters have been sent to all learners with details of how to access the survey and Skills Advisers will also be able to assist you if any further help is required.

To encourage completion of the survey we will enter those who participate in a draw to win a £150 gift voucher - the winner will be announced via our website in February.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you to everyone who took part in out 2009 Learner Survey.

120 surveys were returned and the average satisfaction levels were very high. Scores for the 15 questions ranged from 8.7 out of 10 to 9.62 out of 10. We also received some brilliant comments and useful suggestions on how we can improve.

Lauren McConnell from Parker Domnic Hunter was the winner of our Learner Survey prize draw and was presented with £150 of Metrocentre vouchers by our Operations Director, Christine Scott at the beginning of December.

A summary of the Learner Survey results can be viewed at Access Learner Survey 2009 feedback and is also available from Skills Advisers. This highlights what learners like, what they think could be improved and the steps we are taking to introduce changes in response to your feedback.

Thank you again to those who took part - your feedback really does make a difference!

 Baltic Publications apprentice Ashley Heir is warming to the idea of working with numbers after her training advisor suggested a change of career direction.

Far from being all at sea, the 18-year-old from Gateshead has found that adding to her skills portfolio is opening up new work based opportunities.

Having been found a business administration position with the publisher by her trainers - Access - last year, Ashley has now been persuaded to move on to an apprentice accountant's position.

After helping Ashley to achieve NVQ Level 2 in Business Admin, Baltic Publications has brought in Access once again to ensure their able apprentice passes her level 3 AAT accountancy course.

She said: "Access has been very supportive throughout both courses. I have never studied accounting before so I was hesitant at first but I enjoy a challenge and believe it will be a good career path for the future." "My new accounting skill's advisor has always been on hand to help and we meet regularly to check my progress, making my transition into accounting so much easier."

The printing house, located at the Baltic Business Centre, has been in business since 2002 and is responsible for the publication of a number of business, career and sport related magazines.

Baltic Publications' Accounts Manager Phillipa Mullen is delighted with her new apprentice's hard work, noting her competency for the role and mature attitude. She commented: "We decided to move Ashley to accounts as we thought it would be a more challenging position where she could reach her full potential. We've used Access a number of times and couldn't think of anyone better to train her."

 When bridal shop owner Wendy Coles received a proposal to become engaged in training designed to boost her business performance, she had no hesitation in saying "I will!"

And as the anniversary of working with Access approaches, she has no regrets about tying the knot with the training provider to improve further the customer care provided to clients at her store in Monkseaton.

Wendy is one of an increasing number of Access clients taking up Advice and Guidance NVQ training and she says: "The course is great and I'm really enjoying it. Because my whole business revolves around advising people for one of the biggest days of their lives, the training couldn't be better suited.

Stewart Shackleton and Wendy Coles 

The Customer Service Team at The Sage Gateshead is hitting the high notes after enrolling on a training programme.

Seven staff enrolled on a Customer Service programme designed to perfect their skills through NVQ accredited work-based learning and apprenticeship programmes. The programme is being delivered through a unique partnership between local training provider Access and the Sage Gateshead's own Customer Service management team.
The iconic music centre, located on Gateshead Quays, were keen to endorse the key skills of their front of house staff, encouraging them to go the extra mile for visitors and create a positive and welcoming image of The Sage Gateshead.

Sunderland City Library staff can hardly keep quiet about a new training programme which is really giving the service something to shout about.

A training programme in providing high quality advice and guidance, being provided by local training company Access, marks a new chapter in the library's drive to improve customer service.

Skills Advisers from Gateshead based Access are currently helping 10 library staff to perfect their customer service skills through NVQ accredited work based learning and apprenticeship programmes. And there are plans to roll out the programme to all staff, making all of Sunderland City Libraries an even more customer friendly zone.

Denise Shields, Sunderland City Libraries, Library Development and Projects Officer said,

"We have had a really good reaction from our staff about the training. We like to think of it as a natural extension of their job as it gives them the opportunity to give our customers an enhanced service.

We decided to use Access because of its good reputation and from the start the training has gone extremely well."

Increasingly called upon to deliver advice and guidance training to the service sector, Access can also open doors to funding packages to help support the programmes which can extend up to NVQ level 4.

Christine Scott, Operations Director with Access said,

"We are looking forward to helping City of Sunderland Libraries to become a leader in the way it delivers services to its customers. Library staff are called upon to provide advice and guidance on a wide range of topics extending well beyond the traditional book related enquiries. The work based training programmes will enhance and accredit the well developed skills already demonstrated by library staff."

Photo: Geoff Dunn and Sharon Laidler have recently started Advice and Guidance qualifications, pictured with Denise Shields, Development and Projects Officer for Sunderland City Libraries.

Sixth form student Megan Snowdon has grabbed the chance to get her career prospects on track by timetabling some studies with the Tyne and Wear Metro.

And thanks to a programme between her School - St Thomas More in Blaydon - and Training Provider Access, the signals look good for the 17 year old from Lobley Hill.

Megan is one of twelve students to be given the chance to experience the real world of work while studying for a recognised qualification through the special arrangement between the school and Access.

She said,

"I have always felt that I would enjoy an administrative job and I am taking a business course at school. The chance to work in a real office environment with the Metro has been fantastic. It has made me certain that this is what I want to do and given me the chance to gain a Level 2 Business Studies NVQ, all of which should help me find work when I leave education."

The St Thomas More School's tie up with Access offers sixth form students on the Vocational Business course (equivalent to two 'A' levels) an opportunity to complete an NVQ level 2 qualification in either Business Administration or Customer Service, while on a weekly work placement.

Each student is interviewed before being allocated a placement with local businesses which, as well as the Metro, include the Marriott Hotel, Rok Engineering, Arco and Llyods TSB.

Claire Rainbow, Head of the Vocational Business Deapartment at the school, said,

"We recognise the value of work related learning and through these placements our students are able to develop not only their business skills, knowledge and understanding but also their generic employability skills. This aids their career planning and progression and helps them to grow in confidence. These placements are now a key part of our curriculum and complement the work done in the classroom."

John Kear, Metro Safety and Training Standards Manager, added,

"We are delighted to be able to help local students wanting to learn more about working life and Megan has been a great asset during her time with us."

Stewart Shackleton, Skills Adviser with Access, said,

"This is a fantastic programme which not only provides the students with a universally recognised qualification but allows them to get in depth experience of the type of work they have chosen to do when they leave education. This provides them with a platform not only to find employment but also to further vocational learning such as an Apprenticeship."

Photo: Megan's training programme gets the green signal from (l-r) Stewart and John.

Accountant Deborah Lillie is number one after scooping a regional training award and being promoted to a new job within her employer's new venture.

The 22 year old from Lobley Hill, Gateshead beat 300 other trainees to be crowned Personal Achiever of the Year by Access, for the commitment and dedication she showed during her Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) course.

And soon afterwards she was offered the post of Assistant Accountant with Hays Beds - the company's new bed bank which will supply its distribution channels with its own accomodation only product.

The fast expanding, Sunderland based travel firm also recently bought out the property rights of Freedom Direct Holidays Ltd. - after it had called in the receivers - and took on nearly all of the 109 workers who had lost their jobs. Hays now employs 800 staff.

Deborah joined the company as an Apprentice three years ago and is now planning to study for Chartered Institute of Accountants qualifications. She was nominated for the award by her Manager and said,

"I've worked really hard over the past three years in the foreign exchange team, as well as with Access, but I never expected to win this award. I'm over the moon and I'm sure it helped me to secure the new post."

Katie Woods-Ruddick, Training Manager with Hays North East, added,

"We're delighted with Deborah and very pleased with our relationship with Access. We get great support from them and the learners progress well. It is a fantastic way for them to develop as they get the academic knowledge by studying coupled with hands on experience at work."

Access Skills Adviser, Steve Beavis, said,

"Deborah has been one of our training stars and thoroughly deserves the award. I'm pleased the training support we've provided to Hays has been so effective."

Photo: Award Winner, Deborah Lillie with Access Skills Adviser, Steve Beavis.

If keeping your closet in order is a challenge, spare a thought for Dave Chambers and his team.

They are responsible for suiting and booting around 90,000 people a week while managing the ultimate walk-in wardrobe of 350,000 items of clothing.

Based at Dewhirst's Hendon depot in Sunderland they receive clothing shipped mainly from the Far East, catalogue and store it and then despatch it to meet orders from retailers around the UK and overseas.

With such a responsibility the Warehouse Manager decided some special training was in order to help his 28 strong team supply customers, such as Marks and Spencer, with the latest lines.

Access was called in to provide both the NVQ Level 2 and Apprenticeship courses in Warehousing and the results are already evident.

As Dave said,

"There is no doubt that we have become a more efficient operation, increasing our weekly turnover by about 40%. That's an extra 25,000 items being received or distributed and we've only added two extra members of staff.

Everyone is much clearer about their role within the process and people are really thinking about what they do and why, rather than just working on automatic pilot. This makes for much better organisation and team working."

Gary Thorpe, Skills Adviser with Access, added,

"There was a complete cross section of learners from dyed in the wool seniors to fresh faced youngsters but everyone took to the training with enthusiasm."

Funding for the training was provided by Skillfast-UK - the sector skills council for fashion and textiles which has been working with the Learning and Skills Council to promote learning and development through the Future Textiles initiative.

Photo: Access Skills Adviser, Gary Thorpe with Warehouse Manager, Dave Chambers and his team.

L-R Stuart Gibb - Training Manager, Shelley Pounder - Advisor
Melody Taylor - Business Solutions Consultant, Access

A business which advises thousands of people every day on issues from keeping warm in winter to employment law has turned to Access for some guidance of its own.

eaga, the UK's leading provider of residential energy efficiency solutions, manages the government's Warm Front heating and insulation grant programme.

Its advice services department has around 150 members of staff carrying out benefit entitlement checks on behalf of various utility companies to ensure people are claiming all the state benefits to which they are entitled. It also provides advice on welfare benefits, housing law, employment law and money matters through the telephone based community legal advice scheme.

Stuart Gibb, the department's training manager, says: "We are committed to improving our staff and supporting their development. But we didn't want the training to be just a paper exercise. We really wanted our advisers to get something from it and make it a worthwhile experience to help build their confidence. We looked at a number of training providers and Access was the right organisation to meet our requirements.

"This NVQ level 3 in advice and guidance fits perfectly with the type of work that we do and the people who have completed the course found it very worthwhile and have got a lot out of it."

Benefit Adviser, Shelley Pounder, agrees, saying: "I have to say that the NVQ process has been excellent. I can't think of anyway in which my experience could have been improved. The fact that eaga has been so willing for us to complete the qualification and also the choice of a great training organisation meant it was very straight forward."

Team Valley based Access now offers a range of qualifications specifically aimed at helping businesses improve the support that they can offer to their clients.

The company, awarded the Matrix standard for the delivery and quality of its own information, advice and guidance (IAG), has now been accredited to offer NVQs in Advice and Guidance at levels 2, 3 and 4.

Mel Taylor, Business Development Consultant at Access, explained: "People need advice and guidance in all aspects of their lives. Whether it is help in sourcing information from a library or voluntary organisation, gaining advice about housing, benefit entitlement, energy efficiency, where to stay or even which specs to choose at an opticians, we all expect the people we ask to be qualified to provide it.

"These Advice and Guidance qualifications are proving very popular as they provide organisations with the confidence that their staff are competent in communicating with and supporting their clients and ultimately providing an excellent level of service."

(L-R) Gary Thorpe (Access Skills Adviser), Malcolm Webb (direct line manager with IDS Fire and Security) and
Chris Darling.



One of the first jobs tackled by security systems engineer Chris Darling after he completed his apprenticeship was with the training provider which boosted his career.

The 21-year-old, from Kingston Park, Newcastle, who successfully completed an Advanced Apprenticeship in Security Systems earlier this year, almost immediately found himself back with training provider Access.

But this time it was to install fire safety and security systems at the company’s new headquarters in the recently completed £6 million Gateshead Skills Academy on Team Valley.

Having quickly impressed his employer, IDS Fire and Security, Chris was offered a permanent position as he worked towards his apprenticeship qualification.

He said: “My training has taken me a long way in a fairly short space of time but I never imagined I’d be returning to Access so quickly - as a fully qualified professional rather than a student!”

The move to Skills Academy, funded by the Learning and Skills Council and One North East, is part of Access’ ambitious expansion plans. Managing director, Malcolm Armstrong, said: “It’s a very exciting time for us and it’s quite fitting that a former apprentice is helping us with our expansion.

“Work based learning, like apprenticeships, offer valuable experience and preparation for the working world, providing great career prospects for young people, as Chris is proving.”

From its new base Access is now better placed to support the drive to improve the skills of the North East workforce and help the region to remain productive and competitive. To do this it has reorganised operations to focus on three key areas.

Access Business Solutions works with employers to identify their business and training needs, providing advice on training solutions and helping to secure funding for training. Access Apprenticeships focuses on the government’s flagship training programmes for 16-24 year olds, building on the company’s excellent reputation for tailoring these national programmes for individual employers. Access Training encompasses all other training services for employers and employees including Train to Gain, commercial and short course provision, teaching and learning programmes and conference facilities.

Everyone at Access is delighted to announce that our Managing Director Malcolm Armstrong celebrates his silver jubilee on 7 November 2008.

Malcolm joined us on 7 November 1983 and helped to set up Access Training, becoming Managing Director eleven years ago. He has sustained the company through continuous success and has realised his lifelong dream of becoming his own boss, when he recently bought the company.

Malcolm has always been passionate about Access and has fulfilled his ambition to continuously move the company into a higher profile having recently moved into the Gateshead Skills Academy.

His enthusiasm is unfaltering, may we all share in his successful ambitions for the future!

Things are certainly moving quickly at Access.

A founder member of the Gateshead Collective – a consortium of seven local work based training providers – the company has now moved into Gateshead Skills Academy on Team Valley.

And this follows a management buy out by MD Malcolm Armstrong who has plans to increase the number of learners the company supports by 50%, to 750 a year.

Established in 1989, Access Training has grown to become one of the North East’s top work based training providers. With an annual turnover in excess of £1.3 million it works with over 150 local businesses to develop staff and provide effective business solutions through training.

In partnership with ITEC North East and Gateshead College, it provides the only Centre of Vocational Excellence for Business and Management in the region and is one of the first private training providers to have undergone and passed an inspection by Ofsted – the Office for Standards in Education. It has also gained Customer First accreditation - a quality mark for excellence in customer service and the Matrix standard – for the quality of information, advice and guidance it provides.
Access aims to provide excellence in vocational learning and the training it provides includes:

• Management and team leadership
• Business administration
• Advice and Guidance
• Accounting
• Customer service
• Teaching and Learning
• Storage and warehousing
• Manufacturing operations

L-R Sue Tomlinson - Skills Adviser, Access, Steve Byrne - Managing Director, View Logistics
Carol Haqqi - Sales Office Manage, View Logistics

Growing carpet and tiling specialist View Logistics is using training to support an expansion drive which has seen the group increase turnover by 8% this year.

A skills investment programme which began with just one member of staff now has around 30 employees involved in a range of courses tailored to their roles within the business.

Managing director Steve Byrne believes this better skilled and more motivated workforce has been crucial to the recent success and plans to extend the programme to more areas of operation.

“We rely on highly motavated and skilled people to be successful in an increasingly competitive market place which is why we recruited the help of external training experts, Access based at the Gateshead Skills Academy , to give our employees that extra edge,” he said “We invest considerable resource on training which reaches across the whole spectrum of our team, encompassing business management, customer service, accounting and technicial courses. Each is tailored to meet the needs of both the individual and the organisation.”

It all began when sales manager Carol Haqqi asked for the support of Steve and the company to help complete an NVQ Level 4 business management course from which she believed the company would benefit. The skills and confidence she gained enabled her to play a lead role in the setting up of the recent acquisition of Eletile by the View Logistics Group. She said: “This was an area of the industry which was completely new to me but because of my training I was able tackle it with enthusiasm and confidence.”

Having seen the benefits training delivered, Steve decided that it should be made more widely available to other employees in the group. Sue Tomlinson, skills adviser with Access, who has co-ordinated the initiative, added: “View Logistics understands that training has to be flexible enough to meet with the individual’s needs as well as the company’s, so each person is provided with their own training plan and are assigned an experienced adviser to guide and support them through their training from day one to completion.

“Everyone has responded with enthusiasm and shown great commitment to learning new skills and I am delighted that this has helped the business to improve performance and to grow.”

Funding for the initial tranche of training was provided through an ESF co-financed programme with Access delivering the project on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council and Skillfast-UK - the sector skills council for fashion and textiles, which has been working with the Learning, and Skills Council to promote learning and development through the Future Textiles initiative. Subsequent training has been funded via Train to Gain and Apprenticeship funding streams.

Based in Hartlepool and with operations in Middlesbrough, View Logistics arranges the manufacture, supply and distribution of floor coverings throughout the UK as well as into Europe and America. Brands include Hugh Mackay, Gaskell Mackay Carpets Limited, Whitestone Weavers Limited, Carpetline Direct Limited, Premier Tufting and Eletile Limted.

Natalie Campbell and Rebecca Jackson

Building a career is a challenge for most school leavers, but Natalie Campbell knew that early experience was the key to constructing her future.

Natalie, 18 and from Gateshead, started laying the foundations for her working life at the age of 14 when she joined the first group of youngsters to take part in a Young Apprenticeship scheme with Access.

The two year programme, in conjunction with Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School in Dunston where Natalie was a pupil, allowed her to complete a valuable work placement with James Burrell Building Merchants in Gateshead.

As well as completing her course, she also secured the runner-up spot in the company’s first young apprenticeship awards before being fast tracked to a post 16 Apprenticeship in Business and Administration.

Still being guided by Access, Natalie is now working as a clerical assistant with A H Property Services and said: “I feel lucky to have been able to take part in the Young Apprenticeship scheme as it helped me to progress much more quickly. I enjoy my studies and I love working within the property industry. I’m able to get involved in all aspects of admin and I want to take on further courses when this one is complete.”

Her supervisor, office manager Rebecca Jackson, said: “Natalie came to us with a great grounding and was far more advanced than I would have expected. She is a real asset to the team and I’m confident she will continue to improve her skills.”

An Advanced Apprenticeship will be the next building block for Natalie and operations director at Access, Christine Scott, is sure she’ll take it in her stride: “Young Apprenticeships are at the heart of the government’s education strategy for 14-19 year-olds as they help instil students with a strong work ethic, which is an attribute respected by businesses.

“Natalie has shown how they can help young people make the right career choice and progress smoothly into the world of work.”

Leaving school at sixteen and unsure which work route to take, Rebecca Kelly sought expert help to make sure she didn’t get lost on the career path.

And the advice and guidance she received from Access Training have certainly helped her to map a fast track to the top with her employer, Harker’s Transport.

As soon as Access helped her secure an apprenticeship role in administration with the haulage firm Rebecca, from Washington, felt she was on the right road.

She quickly adapted to the mixture of education and practical experience, passing her first administration qualification with flying colours. Not wanting to stop there, she threw herself into another apprenticeship, this time in customer service and then onto a team leading course, before undertaking an advanced apprenticeship in management.

Completing her skills set with a Chartered Management Institute qualification, Rebecca, now 23, really got into top gear, completing the rise from customer services representative to administration manager in just five years.

She said: “After leaving school and trying college for a short period I knew full-time education wasn’t for me. Being able to combine learning with work was great, as I got more variety and hands on experience.

“I wanted to work my way up with the company and when I completed one qualification I was eager to start another. Being able to put the knowledge and skills I have gained into practice has helped me in and out of work, and I would now like to become general manger.”

With firm intentions of continuing her education, Rebecca is now planning to begin her sixth qualification with Access Training, this time a level 4 NVQ in customer service, taking her to degree level.

Kevin Harker, managing director at Harkers Transport said: “Rebecca’s determination and drive to achieve has enabled her to develop into a very competent manager. The qualifications she has gained through Access Training have proved to be a great investment for Rebecca and Harkers as a business, particularly in the way she deals with our customers.

“She also offers guidance to her colleagues, some of whom are fellow trainees hoping to achieve the same standards she has set, and I see her being able to develop further into a general manager’s position in the future.”

Yvonne Proctor at Access Training, added: “Rebecca proves that work based learning is a great way to combine skills development and practical experience – a combination which can deliver speedy progress and quick rewards.”

We are now based in a multi million pound Skills Academy on Kingsway, Team Valley.

We share these fantastic new facilities with Gateshead College and a number of our partners within the Gateshead Collective (a consortium of local training providers).

The Skills Academy has excellent training and conference facilities, which means we can offer a high quality service to all of our clients.

Our tenth Celebration Evening was held on 12 June at St James’ Park in Newcastle. The evening was a resounding success with learners of all ages receiving certificates for qualifications which were achieved during the last year.

There were also several special awards for those learners and individuals who particularly impressed our judging panel.

Apprentice of the Year 2007 – 2008
Victoria Seaman



Employer of the Year 2007 – 2008
T & G Allan



Personal Achiever of the Year
Deborah Lillie



Adult Learner of the Year
Terry McKenzie



Award for Career Development 2007 – 2008
Emma Wilkes

One of the region’s longest established and most successful retailers is sold on training which it believes is supporting business development in an increasingly competitive market place.

T & G Allan, which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary, is taking advantage of the Train to Gain service which is being promoted as part of a government’s drive to improve the skills of the UK’s workforce.

With grants on offer to help meet costs, the company has called in Access Training to deliver pilot programmes in customer care and team leadership for 19 staff at its stores in Whitley Bay and Morpeth.

The results will determine whether the stationery and gifts retailer signs up to extend the programme to its 32 branches of The Pen Shop. This is Europe's largest chain of writing instrument stores which are spread throughout the UK and one of only two pen shop chains in the world.

Operations manager, Keith Gilfillan, commented: “I have always been an advocate of training in the workplace having headed up staff training at a major department store, so I know the benefits it can deliver.

“I think we are already beginning to see improvements in our team working and customer services and I know that our team leaders and managers are very impressed by what they have discovered. I have no doubt everyone has a better understanding of the business and their role within it.”

Malcolm Armstrong, Managing Director of Access Training added: “It’s great to see such a long established company moving with the times and developing its people to work in today’s fast changing business environment. I’m sure this has contributed to the success of the business over the years and continues to do so.

Access Training provides excellence in vocational learning, encouraging individual career development to support North East employers. Specialising in work based training it provides, in partnership with ITEC North East and Gateshead College, the only Centre of Vocational Excellence for Business and Management in the region. It has helped over 4,000 young people into employment.

Train to Gain is a service jointly funded in the North East by the LSC and One NorthEast and is designed to help businesses get the training they need to succeed. The cornerstone of Train to Gain is a skills brokerage service which includes free impartial advice and help in finding the best training to meet business needs and improve skills.

The service offers impartial advice and matches training needs to local learning providers, to ensure that flexible, responsive training programmes are delivered to meet employers’ needs. A core element of Train to Gain is the access to appropriate funding of Skills for Life, first Level 2 NVQs, Level 3 NVQs and Management and Leadership learning opportunities.

With the support of the LSC, and single programme funding through the Tyne and Wear Partnership, we are moving to a new multi million pound Skills Academy on Kingsway, Team Valley. We are sharing these fantastic new facilities with Gateshead College and a number of our partners within the Gateshead Collective (a consortium of local training providers). While the Skills Academy will be a base for our staff and learners, we also have improved training and conference facilities, which should ensure we can offer an improved service to all of our clients. Our new address is:

Access
Gateshead Skills Academy
8th Avenue
Kingsway
Team Valley
GATESHEAD
NE11 0JL

We have also taken the opportunity to develop a ‘new look’ to coincide with our move. We have new logos / brands and materials which we feel reflect a new modern company. We have also introduced a group structure to Access which we feel better represents / differentiates our products.

To help us implement these important changes we have recently made 2 internal appointments. Alan Dent has been appointed Training Manager and will be responsible for all of our training staff. Alan brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the effective delivery of training programmes, and has recently celebrated 20 years with the company. Chris Scott has been appointed Operations Director, and will be responsible (among many other things) for the implementation (through our Business Solutions team) of a new employer engagement strategy, ensuring our training delivery is increasingly compatible and responsive to the needs of business.

We are entering a very exciting period in the company’s history and we look forward to working with the many friends and colleagues we have developed in the last 25 years, to ensure that businesses in the region continue to flourish, and that we support them to do so, through working with and developing their people.

Working for specialist adventurewear manufacturer Berghaus and as a part time model, Amy Snowdon knows how important it is to have the right kit.
So when it came to planning her career, she knew she’d need to get the right guidance and qualifications to reach her ultimate goal of running her own recruitment business.

Amy turned to Access Training, based in Team Valley, Gateshead, who introduced her to Berghaus where she was steered her through an appropriate training programme.

And now, with the help of training assessor Brian Diver, the 18-year-old from Red House in Sunderland is cramming her qualifications kit bag with the certificates which will open doors in the world of business.

She began with an Advanced Apprenticeship in Business Administration and then, with Brian’s encouragement, moved on to a three year BA Business and Human Resource Management degree at Sunderland University.

Amy feared she’d need to give up the job she enjoyed so much to make space for her lectures but Access Training again stepped in and managed to negotiate a part time contract so that work and study can be balanced.

Said Amy: “My goal is to go into human resources management and eventually have my own recruitment business, but I wasn’t sure how I would ever get there. Brian has always come up with the right advice and options and I really feel I’m heading in the right direction. “

He added: “I wanted Amy to stay with Berghaus because it is an international company with a great graduate scheme that she may be able to fast track once she completes her course. I spoke to her line manager because I knew how much the job would help her and they would get to keep an employee they value. Amy has shown she has amazing potential in business.”
Amy’s manager at Berghaus, Affy Alldred said: “She knows the systems really well and has built up good relationships with everyone, colleagues and customers alike. She had worked hard so we wanted to accommodate her learning schedule into part time hours.

“We are keen to encourage employees to take up learning and new skills as it brings benefits to both and helps people get experience. Amy can offer her Berghaus experience to classmates and will eventually be able to bring academic knowledge into the workplace, which is mutually beneficial.”

The academic aspiration in Amy does not end with one university course, as she aims to begin a Masters degree in Business or Human Resources when she completes her current three year programme. During that time, she also hopes to take up the opportunity to study in the US for one year as an exchange student, to broaden her business knowledge to an international level.
Success stories such as Amy’s have helped Access to gain Matrix accreditation which is the unique quality framework for the effective delivery of information, advice or guidance on learning and work.

Access aims to provide excellence in vocational learning, encouraging individual career development and supporting the north east employer base. It has helped over 4,000 young people into employment through apprenticeships.

Access Keep Customers Satisfied

Obtaining Customer Feedback is important to any business seeking to continuously improve its service. Access Training use a number of methods to gain feedback from its customers (learners and employers), and other stakeholders. For the last 7 years we have used a series of customer questionnaires which are analysed and an Annual report is produced to show satisfaction ratings, trends and areas for improvement.

Malcolm Armstrong (Managing Director) explains “I personally review every questionnaire that is returned and ensure we follow up any concerns raised on an individual basis. Thankfully, concerns are few and far between, and I seem to spend more time handing out praise to staff for compliments given”.

In previous years we have been able to establish areas where we need to improve and have taken actions to do just that. Improvements to our ICT and social facilities for learners, our approach to selecting apprentices, and initial assessment practices have all been targets for improvements as a result of previous feedback and subsequent reports have confirmed actions have been effective.

This years report was based on feedback taken from 143 returned questionnaires (including 58 from employers).

Overall satisfaction ratings for learners and employers are as follows:

If you would like to make a comment about this survey or any other web page, please click on the COMMENT link below.

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Driving up productivity are Traidcraft staff (Back row - front to rear)
John Logan, Michael Lutter, Andrzej Smok,
Zenen Santana-Delgado and Sharon Pearson
(Front row - front to rear)
Christina Ward, Alison Nesbitt, Jeanette Brenkley,
Maureen Helm, Amelia Lowery, Julie Harpin, Julia Place and Lynda Deeks.

Thinking outside the box has helped Traidcraft, the fair trade organisation based in the North East, increase the number of packages it can deliver by about 10,000 a year.

This five per cent increase will help the Team Valley distribution centre meet the growing demand for the developing world products it supplies to its customers throughout the UK.

It has been achieved through an innovative programme of training and flexible working which has improved the skills and motivation of over 16 per cent of the staff employed at Traidcraft’s Tyneside headquarters.

The latest initiative - involving staff working across six different departments - has been NVQ Level 2 and 3 training in team leading, warehousing and distribution, customer service, business administration and IT, all delivered by Access Training.

Christine Borley, Traidcraft Director of Human Resources, said: ‘We have people here from different backgrounds including some from overseas whose first language is not English. Effective training not only improves skills, it creates a greater cohesiveness among the workforce, improving communication and motivation. The results have been impressive and, as a result, we are well prepared for our busiest season.”

In addition, Traidcraft has introduced extremely flexible working packages to help its staff balance work and family life, including part-time, flexi-time, job-share, annualised hours and home working.

Access Training rose to the challenge of fitting the programme around these arrangements. Chris Scott, Training Manager, said: “We began by talking with Traidcraft to understand what it wanted to achieve. This enabled us to identify the areas and types of training which would best deliver results and then we had to devise very flexible delivery.

“The workforce has responded very positively which has helped them to deliver impressive improvements in productivity.”

• Access Training specialises in providing work based training to improve individual and company performance. In partnership with ITEC North East and Gateshead College, it forms the only Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for Business and Management in the North East, providing high quality training which meets employers’ skills needs.

• Traidcraft fights poverty through trade, helping people in developing countries to transform their lives. As the UK’s leading fair trade organisation, it provides the widest range of fair trade products - from food and drink, to clothes and crafts. It works in partnership with hundreds of small-scale fair trade producers in nearly 30 developing countries, committed to lasting relationships and helping build sustainable businesses.
Traidcraft Website

• Skillfast-UK is the sector skills council for fashion and textiles who is working with the Learning and Skills Council to promote learning and development through their Future Textiles initiative. The Future Textiles initiative enabled Traidcraft to access fully funding training as clothing and jewellery are among the products handled.
Skillfast-UK website

Access Training is pleased to announce that we have recently been awarded the matrix accreditation for the quality and effective delivery of information, advice and guidance to learners.

Matrix accreditation is for 3 years, and during this time we will be looking to continuously develop the quality of the service we provide.

Access Training are one of the first private training providers in the region to have undergone an inspection by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education).

To view the complete inspection report, please click on the following link: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=317115&providerCategoryID=268435456&fileName=\\school\\50\\wbli 50314 20070903.pdf

Access Training is delighted to have been awarded the Customer First quality mark for excellence in customer service. In order to achieve the award, Access Training was assessed against 32 Statements which were divided into 3 core elements - Customer Relationships, Market Awareness and People.

Putting the Customer First ® demonstrates that our organisation is committed to the needs of customers and is driven by making a positive difference to the customers we support.

Our customers will

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