What is the role of sponsors?

The National Skills Academy needs commitment from employer sponsors both to contribute significant funding in partnership with the LSC, and to communicate and deliver the vision.

The employers who sponsor National Skills Academies will have a shared commitment to: high-quality vocational education and training; recognition of the contribution it can make to increasing productivity and performance; and a desire to drive through change. Sponsors will bring:

• A vision which inspires and motivates everyone involved
• Financial resources to create and support the National Skills Academy
• A record of success in business to share with experienced learning providers
• An understanding of the businesses operating in the sector
• First-hand knowledge of the vocational education and training needs of employers
• Fresh ideas, an enthusiasm for innovation and a challenge to traditional ways of thinking.

Employer sponsors will work closely with their SSC and the LSC to achieve a shared vision of employer-driven, world-class centres of excellence delivering the skills required by each major sector of the economy.

“The National Skills Academy for Financial Services is a real opportunity for us as employers to be clear about the skills we need and confident that we will get them. It creates a wider pool of qualified recruits, ready to start work and hit the ground running.” Stuart Bernau, Group Retail Director, Nationwide.

“Bovis Lend Lease are delighted to be involved in the National Skills Academy for Construction, which breaks the mould in construction training.” John Spanswick, Chairman of Bovis Lend Lease.

How will it work?