GoSkills becomes SFEDI qualified

A scheme to assess and develop the business support and training brokerage skills of GoSkills’ team of Business Advisers is due for completion in March 2007.  This will mean that the eleven-strong team is qualified to the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) business support and the new skills brokerage standards.

GoSkills is the first Sector Skills Council to engage with this type of training which is also the standard Train to Gain brokers will be required to achieve.  "Businesses in our sector are diverse in terms of size, service delivery and training needs. That is why is it is really important that they can feel confident in the advice and guidance we can offer, says Peter Huntington, GoSkills’ Chief Executive. “Our Business Advisers have already built up strong employer groups on a nation, region and individual member industry basis and this training will confirm and strengthen their credibility. If the Government adopts the recommendations of the Leitch Review, then there will be an even greater role for the Sector Skills Councils to play ensuring that an expanded Train to Gain has their full support. We aim to be ready and equipped to deal with these challenges.”

The brokerage assessment and accreditation scheme is being delivered by Business Enterprise Support Ltd (BES), the SFEDI licensed centre for the West Midlands working in partnership with EMQC Ltd, the SFEDI licensed centre for the East Midlands. The programme comprises assessment days, including a ‘scenario’ interview to evaluate current skills and submission of case studies, on site observation of brokerage skills in passenger transport context and individual continued professional development (CPD) planning.

Philip Bramhall, Development Manager at EMQC, said: “SFEDI is a nationally recognised scheme which assesses the competence and expertise of business advisers against national standards whilst recognising their commitment to ongoing professional training.” “To successfully achieve accreditation, they must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key areas of business and their performance with clients is observed and assessed.  They are then monitored to identify opportunities for continuous development.  By engaging in this programme GoSkills has demonstrated its commitment to developing the expertise of its advisers and recognises the high value of continuous improvement and development against nationally recognised standards and assessment processes.”