Success Stories

City Business Skills have worked for many businesses

The Book Nook

The Book Nook, a children’s book-shop in Hove which recently won the Best Independent Retailer category in the Brighton and Hove Business Awards, acknowledges that the training offered by City College has made a real difference to their business.

Liz Sampson, Assistant Manager, attended a window-dressing course and is currently studying for a NVQ Level 2 qualification in Retail. “The window-dressing course was brilliant because I learnt a lot about how to position things in a customer-friendly way which I could put into practice in the shop” said Liz. “The NVQ has given me a lot of good general knowledge about how things work in retail”.

Vanessa Lewis, co-owner of the shop, adds: “The lay-out of a children’s bookshop is very important and this training has really helped Liz to build up her confidence and skills. She hasn’t got a retail background but her knowledge is a lot wider now. We’ve all made the most of the training opportunities that we’ve been offered and we’re enjoying a really good relationship with the College.”

Mishon Mackay

Mishon Mackay, one of Brighton and Hove’s leading estate agents, has chosen City College as their main training provider. Through the government-funded Train to Gain and Apprenticeship programmes, the College is training staff in areas of Administration and Management and staff have also attended First Aid courses at the College.

The training is delivered in the work place with an Assessor visiting each staff member and working with them on a one-to-one basis at a time which suits the individual and the organisation. "I was really impressed with the ‘training needs analysis’ that we received” said Mary-Jayne Atkins, Mishon Mackay’s Human Resources Manager. “The College’s Skills Advisor, Jean Travis, was really helpful and flexible about accommodating our needs.

Training is very important for everybody who works for us. If you invest in people, they’ll invest in you. Even though financial resources are stretched for all businesses in the current climate and our employees didn’t necessarily expect us to provide training, it’s important for us to look after staff and make sure that they’re happy."

TN Lawrence & Son

TN Lawrence & Son, a local family-run art supplies shop, has experienced a monthly sales increase of 35% after City College provided them with free training in Commercial Visual Merchandising. The Tourism Futures project, run by City College, provides free training for the retail, hospitality, hotel and visitor attraction sectors within the city.

Visual retail specialists Metamorphosis have been contracted by the College to deliver in-store Customer Experience Enhancement (CEE) training. "Following the training sessions, we started to implement changes to our shop”, said Martin Lawrence, Managing Director of TN Lawrence & Sons. “Our trainer inspired everyone from the shop floor upwards but we also noticed an almost immediate effect on sales. We attribute a large part of this increase to their work with us."

Sussex Cricket

City College has formed a partnership with the Sussex Cricket Board to provide additional Further Education funding for Level 2 & 3 coaching qualifications. The partnership ensures funding and quality assurance of the delivery of the qualifications.

"Sussex Cricket is delighted to go into partnership with City College with our Coach Education Programme”, said Andy Hobbs, Head of Recreational Cricket. “Participation in grass roots cricket continues to rise and training additional coaches to enable clubs to maintain the hundreds of young people wishing to take part is essential for the future of the game. Working with an establishment with such a good reputation as City College will not only greatly add to the quality of the courses but increase the number of new people we can train to become new coaches. We are also sure the relationship will grow in many other areas and very much look forward to a successful, long- term partnership."

Peewees

City College’s drive to find employers who are willing to take on apprentices in a range of professions is reaping rewards, with local hairdressers Peewees now having seven City College students training at their premises in Kensington Gardens, Brighton.

"City College’s Skills Adviser Jean Travis has been really helpful in helping to place apprentices with us and they’re all doing brilliantly” said Penny Manns, Head of Training at Peewees. “We find that if we train our own people, they grow up within our environment, get much more experience within the salon and know what standards we expect. Once they’re qualified, they’ll grow much quicker into successful stylists."

Hotel Seattle

City College has been working in partnership with the Hotel Seattle at Brighton Marina to secure apprenticeships for some of its most talented Catering students. Ten students applied for the Hotel Seattle Chef Apprenticeship and recently took part in a ‘cook off’ at the hotel’s kitchen judged by representatives from the both the hotel and the college.

Originally only one apprentice was to be the overall winner but due to the high quality, it was decided that the hotel would employ two apprentices - Leon Nicol and Chloe Morris-Park. Chloe will achieve her Food Preparation & Cooking Apprenticeship solely in the workplace and Leon will achieve his with the support of day release in the College.

"The focus was on finding the student with the most potential who showed skill, flare and a passion for cooking”, said Barry Watson, General Manager of the Hotel Seattle. “The quality of all the students was excellent and the competition was very close but we’re delighted to now be taking on Leon and Chloe who I feel will both have a great future in the Catering industry."

Mears Ltd

City College is working in conjunction with Mears Ltd., the leading social housing repairs and maintenance provider in the UK, to provide training for its apprentices. Mears was recently awarded the social housing contract for the whole of Brighton and, following a recruitment event at the Crew Club youth centre in East Brighton, the company has offered apprenticeships to five Whitehawk youngsters.

While working for Mears, the apprentices will be studying at City College to gain qualifications in carpentry, plumbing and multi-trades.

"Mears are really excited to be involved with City College” said James Cryer, Partnering Manager at Mears. “We aim to develop a long term partnership with the College to provide a programme of apprenticeships and work placements for many years to come.

Mears are totally committed to investing in the future of Brighton and Hove by training local people and providing job opportunities in the communities we serve."

Brighton and Hove Council

Thanks to a partnership between City College, Brighton & Hove City Council and Surrey-based training organisation MPQ, local Community Wardens now have the opportunity to gain a new qualification - the City & Guilds Level 2 NVQ in Community Warden Occupations.

The award is designed for community wardens, neighbourhood wardens, police community safety officers and street wardens and allows the candidate to demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to undertake their role. Areas covered include supporting community needs, developing customer relationships, conflict management and providing information within the community.

"Because Community Wardens perform such a vital role in the community, it’s important that they have the best training possible so they can provide an excellent service for customers and residents on our estates” said Richard Jordon, a Housing Manager for Brighton and Hove City Council. “The NVQ qualification helps to professionalise the service in terms of good practice and providing clear ideas about what a community warden should do and the levels of service they should provide."

Fair

One local business that has benefitted considerably from City College’s retail training – offered for free through the Tourism Futures project - is local Fair Trade shop, Fair, based on Queens Road. Fair’s sales are up 40% and they surpassed their projected sales for 2009. Fair supports fifty craft projects worldwide, providing work to those who need it most.

Fair have taken advantage of all City College’s retail workshops: Space Planning, Customer Service, Window Display and Visual Merchandising. ”The training has made a huge difference to our business” said Fair’s manager Emma Hiscock. “It's given me and other staff members the confidence to display our merchandise effectively and create displays that attract more customers in and encourage them to spend more. Customers regularly comment on how lovely the shop and window looks which is really encouraging."

Brighton Pier

City College’s City Business Skills department and Brighton Pier HR Manager Jason Mannix have worked together to produce a delivery model where training and assessment takes place on the Pier to enable staff to gain nationally-recognised qualifications.

A range of courses are available to staff, including a newly-developed Mechanical Ride Operations qualification which is aimed directly at staff operating the many rides on the pier.

Other qualifications include Food Service, Drink Service, Multi-Skilled, Cleaning, Customer Service, Business Administration, Team Leading and Maintenance Operations. Each member of staff has dedicated City College work-based assessor who creates an individual learning plan outlining all aspects of the training that will be delivered.

"Brighton Pier is delighted to work with City College to provide NVQs and apprenticeships for our employees” said Brighton Pier HR Manager Jason Mannix. “We believe that every employee, no matter what the grade, should be given the chance to develop their skills and abilities and we feel it is our responsibility to open up these opportunities. Thanks to the support we have received from City College, this is now possible."

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