A college has moved its business support division into dedicated premises with plans to expand the number of sites to meet demand from firms.
Grwp Llandrillo Menai set up Busnes@Llandrillomenai five years ago with more than 200 staff in this “business-arm” across its college buildings.
The aim was to engage directly with employers and provide apprenticeships, commercial training, business support and specialist skills.
Busnes@ made the decision to create a stronger identity and bring staff together, taking on Llwyn Brain on Parc Menai.
The department also has a footprint at Dolgellau and there are plans for a facility in Abergele to ensure they can be accessed by as many businesses as possible.
The pandemic has also pushed them into expanding online provision, again meaning more businesses and workers can be reached.
Paul Bevan, executive director for commercial development, said: “We’ve been in existence for five years now but very much spread across the group’s sites.
“When I joined three years ago, I was keen to ensure we had a bit of an identity across the entire staff of around 200ish who work for Busnes@, who deliver all the apprenticeships, support, commercial and specialist training. All of that is business-focused – what can we deliver for the businesses we are working with.
Most Read
“A key part has been bringing people together into spaces and an environment that is much more focused on business.
“So, this is one of three core sites we will have as well as a small footprint in Dolgellau and a third site that we hope to bring into play over the next 12 months in Abergele.”
On top of that are specialist areas like the work-based learning centre at Llangefni, alongside the food technology centre and facility for infrastructure, skills and technology, a high-spec specialist place, primarily for construction and other infrastructure.
They are also plans for the rural economy hub at Glynllifon and a zero-carbon centre is opening to cater for the skills that will be needed in this sector.
The fundamental aim is to build up skills and therefore average wages in the region, a big driver for the economy.
Paul said: “North Wales suffers from below-average pay levels and seasonality of work.
“The hope is that working together as ‘team North Wales’ we can deliver a broader economy, better paid people, higher skilled, continually lift the bar.
Don’t miss
“I am a huge fan of the apprenticeship model. It requires three things – an engaged young person, an employer that will give them time, space, and support to learn and an educational institution that will act as the expert and teach. With those three things you deliver this fantastic person at the end of day, who is really employable and really skilled and has earned money all the way.
“Employability is a massive driver, especially now as the labour market is so tight, we can produce really highly skilled people who go on to undertake better paid highly skills jobs and drive the economy.
“I love to hear from businesses ‘why are you still doing that?’, because that is the sort of challenge you need from an external partner so you don’t do what you’ve always done and focus on something new.”
The pandemic saw them move from almost exclusively face to face teaching to all-online during the worst of the crisis. Going forward they will provide a hybrid delivery.
Paul said: “The key learning of the last 18 months has been the hybrid method of delivery.
“It enables us to reach broader, offer a high quality bilingual delivery.
Get business news direct to your inbox
There's no better time to stay up to date with economic and business news from your region. By signing up for our daily newsletters, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups from all the major sectors, you get our journalism direct by email. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
“The people we work with have also recognised the benefit in terms of time, staff engagement, but also carbon reduction [over the past year they’ve saved 164,000 miles from people learning online rather than travelling to have training].
“It also enables more businesses to network. I think there will be more of a shift towards having pure digital, pure face-to-face, and the hybrid. Getting the right thing to suit the right industry.
“We are seeing the number of learners rising dramatically, people are taking more account for their own education and companies are seeing the value of investing in their staff to retain them and get them better.
“Those two things coming together mean we are playing an even more important role.”