Local Holiday Park Pontin’s Brean Sands has made a significant commitment to training their staff through their work with Training Solutions.

The park, based in Burnham-on-Sea, approached Training Solutions as they wanted to offer further training and qualifications to all their staff.

So far the park has had nine achievements in the NVQ Level 2 Food & Drink Service qualification and an impressive 22 achievements on the Level 2 EDI Certificate in Team Leading. They have also had achievements in Customer Service, NVQ Level 2 and 3, and the NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery.

Brian Howe, Training Manager at Pontin’s, said: “We have a great working relationship with Training Solutions; they are extremely professional and always help us achieve our goals.” He added: “Training Solutions has had a significant impact on our business; our teams have had a fantastic time working with them, our business has flourished and we now have a more positive and professional team.”

This NVQ level 2 Food and Drink Service is best suited to people who provide a table service of food and drink, and bar staff, who prefer to do a qualification directly related to their job. The qualification covers topics such as customer service, teamwork, health and safety, food service, and preparing drinks.

Ryan Edgell, aged 27, recently complete the NVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink Service. Ryan said: “Training with Training Solutions has been a very beneficial experience. The staff helped me throughout the qualification with a dedicated and supportive assessor as well as informative workshops which were flexible and tailored to my needs. Achieving my NVQ has enabled me to put my knowledge and skills into practice and has given me greater confidence in providing a quality service.”

Brian explained the key benefits of working with Training Solutions and said: “They are flexible to our needs and they offer support and advice which is both professional and personal to us and our teams. Our team members have all gained knowledge, experience and achieved great results – and some of them have even been promoted!”

He also encouraged other employers to contact Weston College and said: “I would recommend Training Solutions as they are achieve to high standards and work with you not against you - on time every time. They are team players who are professional, approachable and friendly.”

This NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery qualification is best suited to anybody who is a chef that prepares a wide range of dishes using numerous cooking methods from basic fresh ingredients. The course includes topics such as preparing fish, meat and poultry, maintaining food safety, effective teamwork and ordering stock.

Glen Simpson, aged 22, recently completed this course. The Catering Manager said: “My NVQ has really benefited the running of the kitchen and I am planning to offer the qualification to the rest of the team. As a manager, having an enthusiastic team who want to do well, are driven to achieve something for themselves, makes my job a lot easier.”

Alex Moore, Senior Work-Based Co-ordinator at Training Solutions, said: “Over the past two years we have developed a strong working relationship with Pontin’s and we’re delighted to see so many of their staff achieving. We’ve built a good level of communication and trust, and I am always keen to help them identify any training opportunities.”

Pontin’s are intending to work with Training Solutions next year and considering retail training, housekeeping, customer care and team leader courses again, combined with skills for life in numeracy and literacy.

Training Solutions offer a wide range of flexible, business-related training, development and consultancy services including NVQ qualifications, Professional Development Workshops and Coaching and Mentoring programs. The majority of these can be delivered in the workplace, reducing the disruption to the business while engaging in staff training.

Pontin’s employ over 180 people. They are part of the Pontin’s holiday company founded in 1946 which currently runs five holiday parks across the UK.

For further information please call Training Solutions on 01934 411594. 

Generous staff at Weston College’s Training Solutions are donating money to charity this year rather than sending Christmas cards to one another.

A decision was made by the staff to place one card to all staff members on a communal noticeboard and then make a donation to international charity ‘World Vision’.

Training Solutions, who are one of the largest training providers in the South West, offer a diverse Apprenticeship programme. It was therefore decided that all monies raised would go towards buying ‘Woman’s Apprenticeship’ gifts from the charity.

These gifts pay for less privileged women to learn new skills, from handicrafts to tailoring and baking, and will help unemployed women find a job and earn an income for their family.

High unemployment is hitting women particularly hard in third world countries. They are struggling to gain marketable skills and losing out on opportunities even when they have the qualifications and ability to do the job. This project aims to change this.

The Women’s Apprenticeship, which can be purchased from www.musthavegifts.org, is just £18, and the Training Solutions team are hoping to buy as many of these as they can this year.

World Vision ‘must have gifts’ are special because they are genuinely needed. Other gifts include mosquito nets, birth certificates, chickens and scholarships for children.

Training Solutions offers a wide range of training including Apprenticeships and NVQs, the majority of which are delivered in the workplace. They currently work with more than 1000 businesses and organisations supporting them to achieve significant improvements in overall performance. They achieve this through helping organisations maximise the performance of one of their most expensive resources - their people.

For further information please call Training Solutions on 01934 411594.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

Adults from across Bristol are invited to a free workshop being organised by Training Solutions this month (January) to help them find Apprenticeships with employers.

People aged 16 and above can attend the workshop, which will take place on Thursday, January 29 at Connexions in Bristol city centre, to find out about the Apprenticeship programme run by Training Solutions, prepare for interviews, be more confident and gain overall job search skills.

Anita Al-Zamily, Employer Liaison Officer at Training Solutions, explained: "We are hosting the Apprenticeship workshop on January 29 from 1.30pm until 4pm at the Connexions on Colston Avenue to give people an overview of the Apprenticeship course as well as helping them learn how to find a job and working on their interview skills, which will stand them in good stead for getting an Apprenticeship.

"We are hoping it will help those who are keen to do an Apprenticeship to secure employment with businesses in the area. Those wishing to attend the workshop need to book a place by either calling me on 01934 411573."

Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes, which means the majority of an Apprentice's training takes place in a practical way, directly in the workplace.

All Apprenticeship training will lead to nationally recognised qualifications designed to meet industry standards. Tuition fees for eligible adults are paid for by Government funding.

In Bristol and Somerset organisations and companies who want to develop their staff and their businesses are signing up for Apprenticeship programmes in partnership with Training Solutions. Cadbury House Hotel, Health Club and Spa in Congresbury near Bristol is one of the businesses benefiting from the relationship.

Laura Pengelly from Cheddar, James Day from Clevedon and Andrew Woodley from Worle are all undertaking Apprenticeship programmes and have all recently received job promotions at the Hotel.

Mark Veale, Head Chef at Cadbury House, said: "Laura, James and Andrew are doing exceptionally well in their jobs and have all deserved their promotions. They have handled the pressure of being given extra responsibility in their jobs and have performed better.

"I am very pleased with the structure of their training provided by Training Solutions. They are training on-site at Cadbury House, which means they are learning and improving their skills in a ‘real kitchen' situation.

"Another benefit of their Apprenticeships is the opportunity to gain a qualification. The training provided by Training Solutions has had a beneficial impact on the development of the hotel's staff. There is a long-standing relationship between Cadbury House and the College."

Training Solutions work with more than 1,000 businesses and organisations supporting them to achieve significant improvements in overall performance. It does this by helping businesses maximise their performance of one of their most expensive resources - their people.

Training Solutions also offers a wide range of flexible, business-related training, development and consultancy services including qualifications, professional development workshops and coaching and mentoring programmes.

If you are interested in attending the Apprenticeship workshop, which takes place at Connexions on Colston Avenue in Bristol on Thursday, January 29 from 1.30pm until 4pm, please call Anita Al-Zamily at Training Solutions on 01934 411573 to book a place.