Need help with recruitment, skills, training?

The best team wins. It’s a principle more often applied in sport than in business, but anyone can relate to the need to attract the best talent and build strong bonds that survive tough times.

The concept of winning looks different to every business, whether it’s completing a business plan, hiring the first employee, making the first sale, selling overseas, filing a tax return on time, being paid promptly by suppliers, getting a patent approved, getting a 5-star review, or of course, winning an award.

Behind any success, you will invariably find a good team. And the best teams tend not to be forged using a cookie cutter approach. If you have 10 people who all think the same way, you’ll get the same ideas, albeit told in 10 different ways. True learning and development come when we are touched by different experiences, and harnessing the unique skills and know-how of people who experience life differently to others can be a game-changer for businesses.

Our experienced advisers are here to help

Whatever challenges you're facing or opportunities you've spotted, our Workforce Skills Team has the knowledge, connections and resources to help you.

Below you will find a range of areas that we can support with, along with some resources and events that can help.

To speak about any of these, or for anything else relating to skills or recruitment, contact our Workforce Skills Team on 01494 927130, email [email protected] or book in a chat with one of our advisers at a time that suits you.

Recruitment & retention

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships often feel like a misunderstood member of the recruitment family. Previously seen as the domain of young people fresh out of school, they are open to anybody of any age. They are also available to people already in work who use an apprenticeship to upskill in their existing job.

We have dedicated support for employers wanting to take on an apprentice, or who simply want to learn more about what it entails. Contact our team on 01494 927130 or [email protected].

It's also National Apprenticeship Week soon (February 10th-16th). Between now and then, we will be sharing lots of inspiration and practical support to help employers understand the benefits of hiring apprentices.

Come and meet your future workforce

We know recruitment can be tough. Where exactly are you supposed to meet thousands of people who could one day work for you?

At the Bucks Skills Show, of course! Aimed at young people aged 14-19, teachers, parent carers, and all adults looking for a career change, there will be 6,000 people through the doors of Stoke Mandeville Stadium on March 5th and 6th, so why not book an exhibition stand and come and meet them all!

Disability confidence

Are you making the most of the talents that disabled people can bring to the workplace?

The disability employment gap - whereby 5 in 10 disabled adults are in work, compared to 8 in 10 non-disabled adults, is a stark statistic. For specific conditions such as autism, this gap is even wider.

Our Disability Inclusion Guide explains the benefits of hiring disabled employees and is packed full of information and resources on how to support new and existing disabled employees, ensure your recruitment process does not exclude people based on disability, talk about disability in an inclusive way, and become a disability confident employer. It can also help you understand more about neurodiversity and how the differing ways people think can be beneficial for employers.

Armed Forces personnel

It is well documented that people leaving the armed forces face difficulties adjusting to civilian life and finding a job, unable to utilise their technical and teamwork skills.

Businesses can join two schemes - the Armed Forces Covenant and the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme - to pledge moral and practical support to armed forces personnel and their families. Learn more about this here.

Skills training and development

Skills Power Hours

We are running a series of Skills Power Hours on a range of subjects linked to recruitment, apprenticeships, skills, and more.

Check out the upcoming events in the series here.

Skills Bootcamps

Upskill your workforce with these flexible training courses that are designed to meet the needs of your employees so that they can enhance what they bring to your business.

Skills Bootcamp courses offer an excellent opportunity for workforce development, helping your team gain expertise in new areas or advance their current skills. They enable your organisation to develop a highly skilled workforce tailored to meet industry demands. The flexible courses can be integrated seamlessly into your employees' schedules.

Learn all about Skills Bootcamps here.

They are for anyone in work or out of work, so spread the word if you know people out of work looking for their next step.

Our experienced advisers are here to help

Whatever challenges you're facing or opportunities you've spotted, our Workforce Skills Team has the knowledge, connections and resources to help you.

To speak about any of the above, or for anything else relating to skills or recruitment, contact our Workforce Skills Team on 01494 927130, email [email protected] or book in a chat with one of our advisers at a time that suits you.