Qube Learning’s CEO talks Business Services - #QubeFocus

This month I want to talk about how important skills development is in the Business Service sector are, and straight away I hear you asking ‘what is the Business Service sector?’ The service sector or industries as they are commonly referred to involve the provision of services to businesses as well as final consumers; services are often linked to the sales or hire of products and their main revenue source is derived from service delivery. This is a far reaching sector, which includes retail, logistics and distribution, hospitality, trade skills such as plumbing, tourism, facilities management, IT and digital, health and social care, clinical car, veterinary, public transport and contact/call centres. Additionally of course we have service providers within most organisations, these are often front line people providing a dedicated customer service role to internal and external customers.

So how important is the Business Service sector to the UK economy? The simple answer is VERY. The UK Index of Services August 2017 confirmed that monthly movements in gross value added for the services industries, which overall account for around 79% of UK gross domestic product (GDP). Additionally the Office of National Statistics published data in June 2017 showing that in the public sector alone there were more than 4.4 million people employed in the service sector. The service sector continues to be a major contributor to social mobility and job creation at all levels and as I’ve already mentioned in a very broad range of business areas.

There is another key question for Business Service employers across England and it is one that we can’t answer yet but something that employers need to be considering as part of their business planning and specifically recruitment and succession plans… How will Brexit impact on the service sector?

Qube Learning is a Business Service provider in its own right; our main product and service is the delivery of Apprenticeships and Traineeships, many are also Business Services. We provide a pre-employment recruitment service, run Traineeship programmes for those 16-24 years of age and not quite ready for work and Apprenticeship programmes. We work closely with our employer customers to develop bespoke delivery models that meet their business needs and drives business improvements and productivity. We work in partnership with our employer customers; this collaboration has a positive impact on all stake holders and in doing so ensures that there is a tangible Return on Investment (RoI). In the Business Service Sector our Apprenticeships are at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 and starting from April 2017 we will be offering a degree Apprenticeship at level 6 run in partnership with the University of Surrey.

We recognise the importance of this sector and as such have planned for growth as an integral part of the strategic planning for the next three years. Here are some example of the employer customers we are currently working with:

• DHL Supply Group UK & Ireland
• Hitachi Consumer Capital Finance
• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
• Hudson Global Resourcing Limited
• TC Facilities Management
• Brady UK
• Everest Ltd
• Avery Healthcare Group
• Yearsley Group
• Peacocks
• Halfords
• BMI Healthcare
• brighterkind
• Caring Homes Group
• Wincanton
• Priory Group
• Various NHS Trusts

In March 2017 we held our first annual Awards Ceremony, which was a great success and an occasion to recognise the hard work from individuals who have overcome challenges to carve out positive paths in their futures but also to congratulate the employers Qube Learning works with and their commitment to the Apprenticeship and Traineeship schemes within their businesses. This glitzy Award Ceremony was held at one of London’s top locations, The Waldorf Hotel, hosted by me, alongside the glamorous duo Laura Hamilton (A Place in the Sun) and Grainne McCoy (BBC’s The Apprentice semi-finalist 2017), who greeted the winners on stage with words of congratulations on their inspirational success and an award to walk away with. Guests included Avery Healthcare Group, DHL, Hitachi Consumer Capital Finance to Mark Dawe from the AELP and Chris Jones from OFSTED everyone enjoyed hearing the inspiring stories from the winners.

• Macro Employer of the Year was won by DHL Supply Group UK & Ireland
• Newcomer of the Year went to Hitachi Consumer Capital Finance
• Higher Apprentice of the Year was awarded to Diane Lomax from Avery healthcare following the completion of her Management level 5 Apprenticeship
• Partner Apprentice of Year was won by Matthew Ralph from Wallington County Grammar School, delivered by Associated Neighbour Training having completed an Apprenticeship in Accounting

At Qube Learning we are passionate about developing people and giving young people an opportunity to get a foot on the career ladder via the Apprenticeship route. We are very proud of our three young Apprentices, all of whom achieved their Business Administration level 2 Apprenticeship in October 2017. Rhiannon Hastings started with Qube as an HR Apprentice in September 2017 and is now a key member of our HR department. When asked about her Apprenticeship experience with Qube Rhiannon said:

“One of the most important things I have learnt during my apprenticeship are the soft skills I have developed, such as email and phone etiquette, working within a team and face-to-face interaction. I will take these with me to my permanent role and subsequent career. Additionally, I feel my apprenticeship has helped me build and maintain professional relationships internally and externally; I do not feel this is something I would have been able to learn in a classroom environment. This has paid dividends as now I move into my permanent role. My apprenticeship with Qube in the HR department has given me a solid foundation in which to base my career in HR on. Going forwards I am working towards building my HR knowledge and furthering my career by enrolling onto the CIPD Level 3 in September 2018.”

Ellie Durman also commented “From working at Qube and completing my Level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship, I have learnt about various aspects in my working environment. The main thing I have learnt is time management, I’ve learnt to prioritise my workload and become more independent. I have also learnt how to work in an office environment and make increase my confidence using everyday equipment. Being able to do these tasks have made me successful in securing my job role as I move forward as a permanent member of the team, as they have enabled me to have a good understanding of my job role and I have confidence in what I do. Going forwards progressing within Qube is defiantly something I want to do. I will be starting my Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship once I start my permeant role and hopefully progress onto Level 4 Business Administration and Level 5 Leadership and Management.”

Our third Apprentice Joe Clinton has also secured a full-time job with another employer based on Milton Park. From our perspective as the employer we are very proud of what our Apprentices have achieved, we are delighted with their progress and can see the value they add to our business. Using Apprenticeships as part of our recruitment strategy has been highly effective and we are now in a position where we have two well trained people, who are motivated, have a very good understanding of Qube and work life in general and are hungry for progression, which fits well with our career and succession planning. In summary it a WIN-WIN.

Debbie Gardiner, CEO Qube Learning