Group Lotus plc, the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing, City College Norwich and the Learning and Skills Council's Train to Gain service have joined forces to provide a Level 2 NVQ training course in Business Improvement Techniques (B-IT).
18 December 2007
Lotus Training Blossoms
Group Lotus plc, the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing, City College Norwich and the
Learning and Skills Council’s Train to Gain service have joined forces to provide a Level 2
NVQ training course in Business Improvement Techniques (B-IT).
Seventeen Lotus employees have become the first of 300 at the internationally renowned
company to be awarded the prestigious industry-recognised qualification, which has been
tailored to meet the needs of a large manufacturing business.The way the course at Lotus
has been developed is seen as a pioneering step for the manufacturing industry and is the first
such accredited course in the county of Norfolk to have been run internally. The course is
unique as the training is delivered by Lotus staff who themselves are fully qualified to deliver
the course to the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing recognised standards.
On Wednesday 12th December 2007 Mike Kimberley the CEO of Group Lotus plc presented
the 17 employees with their NVQ Level 2 certificates in front of a distinguished audience.
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive of Group Lotus plc commented “We are proud to be
spearheading Lotus Training Initiative in private industry in the UK working with the National
Skills Academy for Manufacturing. This training forms part of the continuous improvement
philosophy employed at our world class manufacturing plant. Improvements in performance
and quality will directly benefit the production of our multi-award winning sports cars currently
in production, our future models, the first of which is our new mid sized sports car due for
production start early 2009 and our high technology client vehicles that we manufacture. We
are very proud of the progress we are making and I would like to congratulate the work force
on their commitment to the NVQ course. At Lotus, we are giving all our staff an opportunity to
grow within the company and progress their career, which will have the benefit of improving
our workforce, making our business even more successful and contributing to the wonderful
reputation that the UK has for innovative, efficient and viable engineering and manufacture.”
Bob Gibbon, the Managing Director of the National Skills Academy said, “The NVQ for B-IT
Level 2 is an approved benchmark of competence in the application of best practices in the
workplace. Not only do these help organisations optimise their business processes but just as
importantly, it empowers employees to engage in their own development journey. Lotus is an excellent example of a committed workforce and leadership intent on achieving world class
excellence.”
Glen Moore, Skills Development Manager at the Learning and Skills Council said: “We’re
really excited about working with Lotus Cars through Train to Gain. Employers need to invest
in the skills of their workforce, if the UK is to compete effectively in the global market place.
Lotus Cars has clearly taken this message to heart and is a world class company, at the
leading edge of skills development in the region.”
Principal of City College: Dick Palmer said: “This is really exciting stuff! I’m delighted that City
College is working with Lotus Cars to meet its training requirements. As one of the first of its
kind, this training partnership is a strategically important relationship for both organisations and
sets an example for others to follow up and down the country. Train to Gain is a new and
innovative way of delivering training, based on a flexible response to an employer’s individual
demands”.
Continuous Improvement Manager for Lotus, John Vigar has championed this initiative at
Lotus from its conception, “The Business Improvement Techniques course is designed around
the interaction between people and the best practices we adopt to ensure that we maintain our
world class performance status. This excellent training programme promotes high levels of
empowerment for people working within a team ethic and it goes a very long way towards
helping people further develop their skill base.”
Lotus has received over two hundred and eighty enrolment requests from employees since
launching the initiative earlier in the year. The first one hundred and thirty of these have
already completed their classroom training, which indicates that the company is well on the
way to achieving its target of three hundred City & Guilds NVQ level 2 Certificates by July
2008
The Business Improvement Techniques NVQ includes modules in Health and Safety, Effective
Team Working, Work Place Organisation, Continuous Improvement, Visual Management and
Problem Solving. This training scheme was the first Business Improvement Techniques course
in the region and provides relevant skills for automotive manufacturing. Ends
Notes >>
Notes:
Pictures
High-resolution pictures of the Lotus NVQ Presentation can be downloaded from the media centre of
the official Group Lotus website at http://www.grouplotus.com/mediactr. The image library is for
registered users only. Members of the press may register for the media centre.
Business Improvement Techniques NVQ chieving an NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) is considered to be the benchmark qualification for manufacturing. It is a nationally recognised qualification accredited by the City & Guilds at NVQ Levels 2,3 and 4. The initiative is supported by funding from the Learning Skills Council (LSC) is part of the Government’s provision for up-skilling ‘UK PLC’. The aim is to revolutionise skills training in the workplace by putting employers at the centre of the process and allowing for a very high standard of flexible training for employees.
About Group Lotus plc:
The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd, which has two operating divisions – Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive
engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Its global facilities include those in Michigan, USA and
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and offices in Germany and China. Lotus Engineering provides
comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers,
offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and
integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide markets and customers to full production.
This includes third party ‘niche vehicle’ engineering and manufacture worldwide. Lotus Cars builds and sells Lotus sports cars, Elise, Exige and Europa for global sale. National Skills Academy for Manufacturing the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing is a central part of the government's skills strategy. The Academy will focus on meeting the skills needs of both large and small employers from the Manufacturing sector, including Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics and Marine. In the longer term, it will also incorporate science and technology sub-sectors such as the Biological and Medical Sciences, and Bio- and Nano-technology. The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing's vision is to create training and education programmes, which will set national standards for delivery and help employers to meet the demands of global competition in terms of improved productivity, competitiveness and profitability. http://manufacturing.nsacademy.co.uk
Train to Gain
Train to Gain is a service from the Learning and Skills Council, helping businesses get the training they need to succeed. Since its launch in 2006, Train to Gain has helped more than 52,000 employers and enabled over 240,000 employees nationally to undertake training. An important element of the Train to Gain Service is skills brokerage that offers free impartial advice, and helps find the best training solution from high quality and responsive training providers to meet business needs.
Train to Gain is important because skills shortages continue to have a negative impact on UK
productivity and competitiveness in the face of fast-growing economies. Train to Gain aims to
encourage all businesses and individuals to value and realise the benefits that learning and skills can bring and to invest appropriately. It is expected that by the end of 2010, over 500,000 learners will have achieved a first full Level 2 qualification through Train to Gain.
For further details please contact:
Group Lotus plc, PR Department, Group Lotus plc, Potash Lane, Hethel, Norfolk, UK, NR14 8EZ
Tel: +44 1953 608264; Fax: +44 1953 608111; Email: pr@lotuscars.co.uk