Colchester News
Breakfast Club helps young people learn
1st July 2008
A breakfast club for young people on training courses has been hailed
the secret to successful learning. Independent training company TBG Learning,
which runs an Entry to Employment course for young people aged 16-18 who
have not entered college or found employment, provides a free breakfast
every morning for its learners, many of whom help with the preparation
and serving.
Ron shows you're never to old to learn
27 July 2007
Move over ageing pop stars The Zimmers, a 74 year-old from Tiptree, Ron Woolener, has decided its time to show what his generation can do as far as the computer revolution is concerned..
TBG Learning Colchester hits the 1000 mark for the Life In The UK Test
Since TBG Learning Colchester started facilitating the Life in the UK Citizenship tests, we have helped 1,208 people achieve the marks required to pass.
If a person wishes to become a British Citizen or has decided to settle permanently in the UK they need to show that they know about life in the UK and have to pass a test set by the Home Office. The test is computer based and is a series of 24 questions which are taken from information laid out in the book called Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship.
We are 1 of more than 90 centres around the UK facilitating the test and have a bank of 10 computers used solely for this purpose. We can test up to 40 people per week and are regularly being thanked for making the process so painless and stress free for them.
Cheryl Heley, the facilitator, says “Most of the people are very nice and come to us very nervous. We do our best to put them at ease and when they have passed we share their joy and elation.
” After a recent “Mystery Shopper” visit we achieved a grade green – the highest we can get - and it was commented that we are “Well presented and good staff co-ordination”.
We would like to thank Cheryl Heley, Carole Powell, Kate Landells and Pam Riches in facilitating, administering and making this a success for TBG Learning
We were so pleased with TBG’ says Newsquest Essex
Newsquest Essex is the leading publisher of newspapers in Essex, with nineteen titles. They have been working with TBG Learning, Colchester since 2005 and a total of 48 staff has undertaken the Apprenticeship programme since then. When Newsquest could see how motivate this made their staff they approached us to find out what we could do with there other staff across the county. We are now delivering Basic Skills, Apprenticeships and NVQ’s in Customer Service and ITQ.
Satisfying our customers is a fundamental part of our business, without them we wouldn’t be here. So ensuring that our employees are customer service focussed is paramount, but it’s hard to take people away from their desks to train them.
When TBG Learning offered to provide our staff with Customer Service and ITQ Apprenticeships and NVQ’s we willingly took them up. As the training is all done in the work place so the staff were really motivated and enthusiastic to get the qualification. Everyone benefits.
We were so pleased with TBG Learning’s efforts that we are in the process of training more staff as well as ensuring that staff are assessed for their Literacy skills and where necessary TBG Learning can provide that top up learning.
By working with TBG Learning, Newsquest Essex will become more efficient, effective and above all, more Customer focussed.
Glowing Inspection Report for Colchester Learning Centre
A community based learning centre which has been highly successful in helping unemployed 16-18 year-olds and in running Apprenticeship programmes in the workplace for local businesses, has received a glowing report from independent inspectors. TBG Learning in Colchester, whose Centre is at Portal House, 27 Southway, was awarded Grade 1 ‘outstanding’ in several areas by The Adult Learning Inspectorate, the agency responsible for inspecting all government-funded learning for people aged over 16.
Top marks were given for the Centre’s clear leadership. Inspectors praised the ‘very good progress’ by learners, ‘most of whom have few prior achievements, but now make good progress towards reaching their career goals’. It highlighted the professional support from TBG Learning which ‘effectively improves learners’ confidence and esteem’.
The Colchester centre currently has over fifty young people aged 16-18 who are unemployed and are following its Entry to Employment programme, which helps build their levels of basic skills and develop individual confidence. Over 80% progress onto college or are helped to find employment with training. It has also just started a new ‘Young Mums’ programme.
Praise was also given to TBG Learning’s Apprenticeship programmes. Seventy young people aged 18-24 years old who are employed by local businesses receive training and support in the workplace by Employee Development Specialists as they work towards National Vocational Qualifications at Levels 2 and 3. TBG Learning is expanding its Apprenticeship opportunities and has capacity for 90-100.
An Open Week is being held at TBG Learning Colchester from 11-15 December and anyone interested in finding out more should please call 01206 366341 for further information.
“Congratulations must go to all the tutors and staff here. The mutual respect between tutors and learners and the excellent leadership at the centre are producing excellent results which are confirmed by this inspection”, said Andrea Pawsey, TBG Learning Centre Manager.
The Colchester TBG Learning centre is one of 12 run by the company nationally and there’s also a TBG Learning in Clacton-on-Sea.
The inspection covered ten out of the twelve centres and included visits to 29 workplace training programmes. A total of 250 learners, staff and employers were interviewed in the process.
PRAISE FOR NEW SCHEME
Wednesday 24th May 2006 A Braintree-based employer has praised a new apprenticeship programme and thinks other businesses could benefit from it. The company, Show Carriage, was the first to take advantage of a new Government-funded apprenticeship training scheme specifically designed for the logistics and warehousing sector when is was first launched last autumn. New recruit Mark Croxson, who joined last year, has been learning about all aspects of the exhibition and freight industry both in the warehouse and the office as well as at events, and will gain his apprenticeship qualification on completion of the training and on-the-job assessment.
TRAINERS WORK TOGETHER FOR ESSEX EMPLOYERS 
Tuesday 17th May 2006 SVC Limited, which has offices in Colchester and Stansted, has achieved national recognition for its new training division and has thanked another Colchester based company, TBG Learning, for its expert advice on accreditation procedure. Formerly known as Stour Valley Consultancy, SVC specialises in human resource and recruitment consultancy and launched its training courses last autumn, expanding to open a new office in Stansted.
NEW SPONSOR FOR COLCHESTER UNITED YOUTH PLAYERS 
Tuesday 21st March 2006 Colchester based TBG Learning has become a Kit Sponsor for three Colchester United Youth Players and is now official sponsor for the football club's Website.Under 19 players Anthony Wordsworth, Arrun Best and Stephen Opoka, who are all full time youth team players for Colchester United in the Football League Youth Alliance, have been sponsored by TBG Learning for the remainder of the 2006 season.
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