A former Education Secretary visited an innovative Stafford business to discover more about its commitment to skills and training.
South Staffordshire MP Sir Gavin Williamson, who was instrumental in setting up Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIPs) during his time as Secretary of State, paid a fact-finding trip to HBMtelemarketing.
Last year, the firm was involved in an award-winning campaign with Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce to design and deliver a survey so people could have more of a say in the delivery of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LSIP.
HBMtelemarketing Director Helen Bancroft Morris said: “Before our meeting I was unaware that Sir Gavin had signed off the LSIP legislation during his time as a government minister.
“He was interested to hear how we had targeted employers, particularly in manufacturing, engineering and digital sectors to get their opinions and gauge their likelihood of engaging with the LSIP.
“In addition, at HBM we have undertaken a lot of work around skills and education, two areas I know are very close to him.”
In 2021 Gavin Williamson presented the Government White Paper: Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth which proposed many reforms including apprenticeships ‘that really work for employers’, T-levels and Local Skills Improvement Plans.
The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LSIP is the final one of 38 plans to be designated by the Department for Education (DfE) across the UK.
During his visit, Sir Gavin also met employees Pramila Limbu and Liam Collins and heard about two current T-level apprentices working at the company Saskia Dyer (business management and administration) and Fel Hayden, (digital design and production).
He was also introduced to employees and new apprentices at the company’s next-door neighbours Francesco Group.
“Last year we ran a campaign on their behalf to reverse the decline in recruiting apprentice hairdressers, the life blood of their industry,” said Helen.
“We introduced Sir Gavin to a couple of the new apprentices and talked about the importance of using quality data for effective results. Through this campaign we helped Francesco Group to increase its annual apprenticeship recruitment by almost 100 percent.”
Sir Gavin Williamson said: “It was a pleasure to meet Helen and her team and to find out about how they are playing a key role plugging the skills gap.
“The quickest route to build our economy is the development of skills and upskilling. Staffordshire is very proactive with the skills agenda, and I remain committed as an MP to making sure we provide the best opportunities for young people to grow our economy.”
