Below are a list of our news and press releases. Click on a news story for more details.
Management Skills shortages a concern for business
25 February 2013
The Institute of Chartered Accountants and Grant Thornton’s UK Business Confidence monitor for Quarter 1 of 2013 makes interesting reading. The report suggests that there is a rise in business confidence and that the UK economy should avoid a triple dip recession.
Michael Izza, the CEO of the Institute says “As I travel around the country, I speak to young people who want to start the
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Employers reap the rewards
07 February 2013
Employers who are encouraging and supporting their staff to undertake work related vocational qualifications are reaping the rewards. Recent research states that 86% or companies agree that having staff with vocational qualifications leads to better business performance.
John Herman, Intec’s CEO says ;- “Apprenticeships are the flagship vocational qualifications in the country, espec
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Apprenticeship Programme continues to grow
11 October 2012
New statistics published in October show a continued increase in the number of people taking up Apprenticeships. The provisional data shows that for the full 2011/12 academic year (August 2011 to July 2012) 502,500 people started an Apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship starts rose from 457,200 in 2010/11, at all levels, with particular strong growth at advanced and higher levels.
“These figure
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Apprentices - Get a Head Start
22 August 2012
As this year’s “A” level results dominate the media and young people experience excitement, satisfaction and disappointment, there are also hard choices to be made about going to university. Research from Oxford University suggests that students will be very selective and will be reluctant to accept offers from universities not on their short list. Students beginning courses this
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Golden Opportunity at Intec
27 July 2012
Staff at Intec Business Colleges Head Office, based in Rugby, Warwickshire were certainly getting into the spirit of the Olympics today with the arrival of an official Olympic Torch.
Warwickshire Air Ambulance Trust kindly visited the centre today to allow staff to witness the opportunity of a lifetime. The torch, which had been recently carried through Rugby during the Torch relay, has kin
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Intec Business Colleges launches £1,500 Grant to Employers
21 March 2012
Intec Business Colleges are able to offer your business a Grant of £1,500.
The wage subsidy grant is available for employers to offer young people, aged 16-24 employment through the Apprenticeship programme.
John Herman, Managing Director comments "This is a great opportunity for Employers to consider employing an Apprentice within their organisation, it is an opportunity to bu
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Rugby MP visits local Apprenticeship employers with Rugby based training provide
10 February 2012
Local MP Mark Pawsey has joined with representatives from Intec Business Colleges this week to visit local Apprenticeship employers H & K International on the Swift Valley Industrial Estate. During National Apprenticeship Week, Mark was keen to see for himself the advantages of employing and supporting apprentices in the workplace.
Mark said: “I was delighted to be able to visit H &
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Mercedes-Benz drives Employee Training
09 February 2012
Mercedes-Benz Insurance provides branded insurance products to both passenger car and commercial vehicles customers and they have set up a training academy to support both new starters and experienced members of their teams to achieve their goals and encourage staff retention. The training academy works in partnership with Intec Business Colleges to provide NVQ training in Customer Services and Te
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Intec Supports National Apprenticeship Week
07 February 2012
Yesterday saw the official launch of the fifth National Apprenticeship week. “Apprenticeships are at the centre of the government’s skills policy because we know that they work. Not only do they provide individuals with the skills they need for prosperous and rewarding careers, they also boost businesses’ profits and drive growth in the wider economy.” – Vince Cable,
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Intec working alongside Teleperformance
18 January 2012
Teleperformance runs the “Be all you can be” programme aimed at encouraging young people from areas of high unemployment to aim for a life which is physically active, nutritionally healthy and addiction free and understand possible local career paths. This is in collaboration with local services such as community police and education authorities. One of them being Intec Business Colleg
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Intec launch new initiative to take youth unemployment in Rugby
09 November 2011
Intec Business Colleges, a leading UK provider of work based training, is launching a new initiative to help tackle youth unemployment in Rugby. Intec, which is headquartered in Rugby Town Centre, is providing the opportunity to gain an IT qualification as well as carry out Job Searches and CV Writing skills. Intec will running an eight-week course in January of 2012 and is inviting applicants who
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Small firms hold the key, MP tells forum
18 October 2011
The Rugby HR Forum, a new representative body established for the benefit of HR Business Partners and Personnel Directors/Managers in and around Rugby, held its inaugural meeting at the new Rugby Business Centre of Warwickshire College on Technology Drive last week. Mr Mark Pawsey MP, who formerly ran a business in Rugby for over 25 years himself and who now represents the constituency on the back
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Intec Business College leads on tackling youth unemployment
12 October 2011
As youth unemployment figures are set to top 1million and reach historic record highs, one of the UK’s leading work based training organisations, Intec Business Colleges plc, is already at the forefront of placing young workers into apprenticeships with leading UK employers. Intec’s Managing Director, John Herman, is certain apprenticeships will be vital in tackling youth unemployment
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Apprenticeship Success Rates
07 September 2011
The Skills Funding Agency, the Government Agency whose job it is to fund and regulate Adult Further Education and skills in England, has just published the Apprenticeship success rates for 2010-11. The average success rate for all providers throughout the country is 75.5% which is an increase on last year’s 73.9%. These figures represent the success of learners undertaking Apprenticeship pro
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CIPD Apprenticeship survey results
07 September 2011
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) has just published some research in its quarterly survey which suggest a sharp increase in employers looking to take on Apprentices. 37% of the employees surveyed are likely to recruit apprentices in the next 6 months up to December 2011. Despite this encouraging news employers are not impressed with the preparedness of young people for emplo
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You're Hired : Employers find Apprentices with Intec's new recruitment service
27 June 2011
Intec Business Colleges has launched a new service today aimed at supporting employers in recruiting apprentices under the age of 25. In conjunction with the National Apprenticeship Service, Intec is able to provide employers with a comprehensive recruitment package for them to employ an Apprentice. The service is simple, speedy, takes away the headache of the recruitment process and best of all i
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Access to Apprenticeships
01 June 2011
David Cameron, The Prime Minister, has announced a new measure to combat youth unemployment and given the under 25 year olds opportunities to get an Apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are the UK’s flagship vocational qualifications designed to provide young people with the skills the nation needs in the future. The programme will prepare young people to take up full time jobs with employers w
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Skills Development Scotland contract win for Intec Business Colleges
06 April 2011
Intec Business Colleges has secured a substantial new funding contract with Skills Development Scotland in excess of £250,000 for the year to deliver Modern Apprenticeships and support organisations with their training and development needs. Mary Simpson, Regional Manager is delighted with the new contract and hopes that employers will take advantage of the funding opportunities available to
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NVQs SUPPORTING CUSTOMER SERVICE AT STENA LINE FREIGHT
05 April 2011
Stena Line is one of the world’s largest ferry operators for freight, currently operating four routes between UK and Ireland, three between UK and Holland and several routes within Scandinavia. The Freight Sales and Marketing department in Rugby have been undertaking a range of NVQs as the organisation continues its commitment to develop its Sales Support Staff who form a key part of the cus
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A further 40,000 apprenticeships will be created for young people in England
24 March 2011
Presenting his Budget yersterday (23 March), George Osborne also said the government would be increasing the places on its new work experience scheme to 100,000 over the next two years to help tackle the problem of rising youth unemployment.
Osborne said: "In Austria, Germany and Switzerland around one in four employers offers apprenticeships. In England fewer than one in 10 do. That&r
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Success at Delivering NVQs
15 March 2011
Europa Worldwide Logistics is one of the largest privately owned Transport and Logistics companies in the United Kingdom, delivering cost-effective freight solutions since 1966 to over 100 countries worldwide. Europa employs over 400 people in the UK, structured over seven operating divisions and providing extensive warehousing, customs and documentation facilities. Europa is supported by a powerf
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A Prescription for Success
08 February 2011
NHS Direct has recently joined forces with Intec Business Colleges to provide Health Advisors working from its Wakefield contact centre the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications and support the delivery of excellent customer service. NHS Direct is a 24 hour, seven days a week health advice and information service for people in England, providing patients with telephone advice fr
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BarclayCard gives credit to NVQs
08 February 2011
Barclaycard has been improving staff confidence and developing skills with a new programme of NVQs & Apprenticeships at their site in Northampton. The Direct Sales department for business customers, which includes both a sales support team and a sales team, have been undertaking a range of NVQs & Apprenticeships as the global organisation continues their commitment to support staff in deve
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Apprentices prove a good match
05 January 2011
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust provides a wide range of healthcare services to the residents of Lincolnshire with more than 7,500 highly trained staff and volunteers. Intec Business Colleges has been working with the United Lincolnshire Healthcare Trust to support the hospital in recruiting Apprentices.
The Apprentices, who are currently completing a Customer Service Apprenticeship,
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RAC at your service
05 January 2011
RAC is an instantly recognisable name in the world of motoring and has been at the forefront of developing motoring services since 1897. Today RAC boasts one of the world’s most advanced computer systems to deal with calls for roadside assistance and as one the UK’s most progressive motoring organisations it has been working with Intec Business Colleges to deliver NVQ and Apprenticeshi
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HEROtsc supports young staff to gain formal qualifications
03 December 2010
HEROtsc, one of the leading providers of outsourced call centre services and innovative business solutions in the UK, is giving staff at its Kilmarnock and Falkirk sites the opportunity to gain formal qualifications whilst at work. With support from Intec Business Colleges, HEROtsc has gained access to funding for their staff and the company is now delivering SVQ training with Intec. HEROtsc is ke
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NVQ training boosts confidence for Retail Assist staff
02 December 2010
Retail Assist is a leading retail-only solutions and services company working with some of the top retailers on the high street including Jane Norman, La Senza, Karen Millen and Oasis to provide managed IT services and retail solutions. The Nottingham Head Office has recently joined forces with Intec Business Colleges to offer staff working within its service desk operations the opportunity to tak
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Rugby Football League tackles training with NVQs
02 December 2010
The Rugby Football League, who manage, develop and promote Rugby League providing excellent high quality services for the whole of the profession, has recently introduced a qualification route for their staff. The RFL is working alongside Intec Business Colleges plc to deliver a range of NVQs & Apprenticeships to their staff at the Leeds Headquarters, with a view to rolling out to other region
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NVQs key to staff development at Infoserve
02 December 2010
Infoserve is one of the leading players in the UK online local search market and has pioneered the delivery of online marketing solutions for SMEs in the UK through an extensive portfolio of websites and a far-reaching Media Partner Network. The Darlington based firm is now working with Intec Business Colleges to support their staff development and deliver a range of NVQs and Apprenticeships.An in
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Bishop of Coventry opens Intec Business Colleges Rugby Head Office
11 October 2010
The Bishop of Coventry officially opened Intec Business Colleges Head Office in Rugby last week. The Old School in Pennington Court, which was a former infant school belonging to the Coventry diocese, is now home to one of the leading work based training providers in the UK. At the opening Bishop Christopher was given a tour of the new building before taking part in a forum alongside members of th
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STOP PRESS - Attention on apprentices
13 September 2010
STOP PRESS - FEATURED IN TES FE (10 SEPTEMBER)
I was encouraged to read about FE minister John Hayes’s visit to the Nissan factory in Sunderland and his comments about the importance of apprenticeships (Further afield, September 3). During the minister’s visit it was announced that Nissan is committed to taking on an extra 75 apprentices over the next five years. This is to be welcome
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Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service's support staff get on NVQ ladder
29 July 2010
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS), a local authority Fire Service and part of Northamptonshire County Council, is now offering its support staff the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications in partnership with Intec Business Colleges plc. Caroline Evans, Workforce Development at NFRS, explained, “I was very aware that although operational staff often have the op
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Lovell takes resident liaison training to new levels
29 July 2010
Housing regeneration and refurbishment specialist Lovell has joined forces with Intec Business Colleges plc to roll out NVQ training for its resident liaison team in the Midlands. The company’s resident liaison team plays a key role in the many large-scale housing refurbishment programmes which Lovell carries out for housing associations and local authorities. With residents frequently conti
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Burnley Borough Council strengthens staff training with NVQ programme
29 July 2010
Burnley Borough Council is working with Intec Business Colleges plc to deliver a programme of NVQ training for its Customers Service department. Staff working in this department assist customers on the telephone and face to face with a range of enquiries including Council Tax, Housing Benefit, household and recycling waste. Staff are taking Customer Services Level 2 NVQ with one member of staff pr
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STOP PRESS - Coalition Government increases funding for Apprenticeships
27 May 2010
There was good news for budding apprentices as well as companies seeking to access funding for Apprenticeships this week as the Chancellor, George Osbourne, announced an additional £150million was to be made available for Apprenticeships across the country. This extra funding will not only create more opportunities for young people to embark on an Apprenticeship and strengthen their future e
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Pontin’s Proud of Good Customer Service
07 April 2010
Pontin’s has been offering family holidays at their friendly resorts for over 60 years. A major employer in the North West region and a well established name in the UK, Pontin’s prides itself on delivering good customer service. A recent move for the company’s Contact Centre created an opportunity for members of staff to undertake Customer Service NVQ training, through Intec Busi
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Burn Stewart Distillers take modern approach to training
07 April 2010
Burn Stewart Distillers of East Kilbride, producers of a range of premium Scotch Whisky brands, has enrolled a number of employees at its Bottling, Blending and Distillery Operations on the Level 3 Management SVQ with Intec Business Colleges. The company has been looking to develop its supervisory base and to introduce formal qualifications training for its staff for some time. After exploring the
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Girlguiding UK’s Trading Services gives thumbs up to NVQs
07 April 2010
Currently celebrating its centenary, Girlguiding UK is the UK’s largest organisation for girls and young women, with over 500,000 members. Girlguiding UK’s Trading Services, a division of the charity, operates a state-of-the-art warehouse that supplies over 800 volunteer-led depots. They also run six shops and fulfil customer orders for uniforms, equipment and publications via their we
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KARCHER CLEANS UP WITH STAFF TRAINING
27 January 2010
As part of the global Kärcher brand, Kärcher UK is the market leader in its sector. Kärcher manufactures and markets a vast range of products, from pressure washers and road sweepers to army field kitchens. Although Kärcher doesn’t manufacture in the UK, staff based at the Banbury head office are tasked with selling, distributing and servicing the products around the coun
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SHINING LIGHTS
25 January 2010
It was after a successful trial at its Lancaster site that Sunlight decided to implement a national training programme with Intec.
Sunlight is the UK’s market leader in textile rental and laundering services for industry, commerce and the NHS and public sector and the training programme mainly sits within its Textile Services division.
“We had heard good things from the staff on th
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COASTING TO SUCCESS
23 January 2010
Having been in business for 25 years, Westcoast understands the importance of employing and retaining the best staff. The company has always encouraged employees to develop within their roles and within Westcoast, but until recently had no formal way to recognise this. The privately owned IT distributor has sites in Reading, Milton Keynes, Dublin and Nottingham. To test the water, Westcoast decide
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A PASSPORT TO LEARNING
21 January 2010
As a company specialising in communication and relationship building, it comes as no shock that staff development is very important to Dataforce. It is also no surprise that for a company promising companies individual and personalised communication with each one of their customers, it is vital to get staff training right. With its head office in Northampton, Dataforce has a diverse range of offer
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INVESTING IN EXCELLENCE
20 January 2010
rpmi currently looks after the pension interests of over 500,000 people in the UK and with such a large and diverse customer base, the company puts great emphasis on the value of good customer service. rpmi has an established training programme in place for its pensions administrators, more than half of whom are QPA qualified or studying, but wanted to extend its training offering further across t
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BRING YOUR IT TRAINING UP TO DATE
17 January 2010
Softwaretraining.co.uk, part of Intec Business Colleges, is now offering the latest in IT training with courses in Microsoft Office 2007. The one-day course is an efficient and cost-effective way of expanding your own, or your staff’s, IT skills. Attendees can choose between the latest versions of Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and Powerpoint, at Introduction, Intermediate or Advanced levels.
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TRUST IN TRAINING
15 January 2010
The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NEAS) covers a 3230 square mile area, from the Scottish to the North Yorkshire border and across to the Cumbrian border. In total NEAS serves a population of around 2.6 million from 64 locations, has nearly 400 vehicles and employs 2000 staff. With such a huge number of people depending on the service its staff provide, all those at NEAS have to be confi
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TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE
14 January 2010
Nisa-Today’s was set up more than thirty years ago with the aim of providing increased buying power for independent retailers. It is now the UK’s leading member-owned organisation, with a turnover in excess of £1.3 billion, providing benefits to independent retailers and wholesalers in the food and drink market. Staff at its Member Support Centre in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire
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BEING THE BEST
13 January 2010
The Children, Young People and Families Directorate is a public sector organisation within Warwickshire County Council, which supports the needs of young people and families across Warwickshire.
Back row L to R: Katie Griffin, Bob Land, Christine Watson Middle row L to R: Holly Collins, Lisa Maxwell, Jo Rathkey Front row L to R: Kam Singh (Learning & Development Ad
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EXPRESS TO SUCCESS
11 January 2010
Throughout its thirty-plus year history, Express Insurance has used its extensive experience and insurance knowledge to establish itself as one of the largest independent insurance intermediaries in the country. Staff at its Birmingham call centre are responsible for everything from guiding a customer through the quote process to excellent ongoing customer care. With such a huge part of its succes
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CALLING IN THE EXPERTS
09 January 2010
For staff working in the contact centre at Strathclyde Police’s Force Communications department, every day is different and potentially high pressure. They have responsibility for answering all emergency and non-emergency calls that come in, prioritising them and then transferring them to area control rooms if necessary. Yet although the Force has a further and higher educational policy, whe
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MAKING ROOM FOR SUCCESS
07 January 2010
As the UK’s leading online accommodation site offering late availability deals, LateRooms knows how hard its staff work and how important it is to reward them with opportunities for development. With this in mind, LateRooms decided an NVQ programme was the best way to allow staff to develop their skills, increase their knowledge and increase morale. With the arrival of Kaye Robertson as Call
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BROWNHILLS - TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE
06 January 2010
With hundreds of staff spread over five branches and a history to the name which goes back 30 years, Brownhills has plenty of experience in looking after its employees. However, as Europe’s biggest motorhome retailer and aftercare specialist, it decided to go further and put in place a formal training programme to help develop, encourage and refocus staff. Recognising their own limitations i
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UNDER INSTRUCTION
05 January 2010
The DSA is a national organisation delivering tests from over 400 driving test centres and 140 theory test centres. It has responsibility for setting standards and conducting theory and practical driving tests, with staff at its Nottingham office making sure all runs smoothly behind the scenes. The DSA puts an emphasis on employee development, and has had training in place for some time for operat
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CRISTAL HELPS STAFF SHINE
01 January 2010
Every year Cristal’s Humberside site produces 165 thousand tons of Titanium Dioxide, which is used as a whitening agent in everything from window fittings to food. The site, which was bought by Cristal two years ago, has been on the banks of the Humber for 55 years and houses both manufacturing and research and development operations. Cristal initially began staff training with internal cour
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