11th Mar 2009 - 00:00
Abstract
Whitbread, whose brands include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre and Costa Coffee, has today announced a partnership with ThirdForce which will see Whitbread employees guided through numeracy and literacy qualifications.
The contract win for ThirdForce comes after a successful pilot scheme across 16 Whitbread sites. All 937 Whitbread hotel and restaurant sites nationally will be able to run the Skills for Life training scheme with the aim of supporting 1,000 learners through their literacy and numeracy qualifications. Whitbread signed up to the Skills Pledge in 2007 and has developed its own 'Whitbread Apprenticeship Programme'. Alan Maguire Managing Director of ThirdForce commented: "We share the Whitbread vision that learning & skills assume even greater importance in these challenging times and that the right partners using the best technology and people can deliver on that vision better than any other solution." The ThirdForce Skills for Life solution has enabled Whitbread to outsource the entire Skills for Life delivery requirement of their NVQ/Apprenticeship programme and has resulted in faster completion times and learner engagement compared with more traditional methods of Skills for Life delivery. The 'Whitbread Model' The programme comprises three sections - a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2, key skills qualifications in application of number and communication and an Employment Responsibility Rights (ERR) project. The programme will take half the time to complete versus a standard Apprenticeship, with most team members now taking six months instead of 12, as the work required to complete the course is included in Whitbread's standard induction programme. Successful completion will mean that team members will receive four certificates - an NVQ Level 2, two Key Skills certificates, an ERR and an Apprenticeship.