Skills initiative launched

Newsdesk • Published 4 Jul 2012 09:30 0 Comments

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AN initiative that aims to equip residents with skills to compete for jobs in the town's thriving business industry has been launched.

Slough Aspire, developed by Slough Trading Estate owners SEGRO, was launched at the Mars Conference Centre, in Dundee Road, on Monday.

The project provides a range of programmes, in partnership with Slough Borough Council, East Berkshire College, Mars and Learning to Work, to 'raise the aspirations' of the community and give them skills to build their careers.

The launch is the first step of a journey that will result in a new training hub, Business College Slough, in Buckingham Avenue, at the heart of the trading estate.

The aim is to make Slough Aspire the 'first port of call for training and development needs'.

Amanda Davies, HR director at Mars Chocolate UK, said: "We are very proud to be hosting the launch event for Slough Aspire and to showcase our Work Inspiration week. This is an excellent opportunity to provide students with some initial business experience and showcase a range of exciting careers within diverse industries including the food and drink sector.

"At Mars, engaging with students at an early stage is crucial to developing our business, identifying future talent and ensuring that we can help students to make informed decisions about their career path."

The initiative provides three core programmes:

* Aspire for Schools, run by Learning to Work (formerly the East Berkshire Education Business Partnership), aims to shape the future talent of Slough by improving links between schools and businesses.

* Aspire for You, led by Slough Borough Council, aims to break down barriers between residents and businesses

* Aspire for Business, championed by East Berkshire College, will deliver training and business development activities for employers.

The programmes all form part of SEGRO'S 'Vision for the Future' master plan for Slough Trading Estate.

Neil Impiazzi, SEGRO partnership development manager, said: "This project will not just underpin our exciting development plans for Slough Trading Estate, but also help maintain its position as a leading business location in the Thames Valley. Slough Aspire will provide a fantastic opportunity to train local residents so they can compete more effectively for job opportunities."

SEGRO is working in partnership with Mars, Ipsen, Lonza, Polycom, O2, RIM, UCB, Federation of Small Businesses, East Berkshire College, Slough Borough Council and Learning to Work to deliver the project.

The centre is being delivered and funded through a public-private partnership.

This article appeared in Bracknell News 04 Jul 12

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