Next week sees Vocational Qualification Day when the focus will be on businesses they way they use vocational training for staff. It will also look at the route some school leavers can take into work which doesn't necessarily involve going to university.

Business Argus has been asking Gwent-based businesses what they think about the vocational route.

Peter Lewis, managing director, IAC Ltd, Newport

IAC has been utilising NVQ qualifications as part of our apprentice scheme for more than 20 years and we are fully in favour of their use. However, vocational qualifications are only part of the picture and must be integrated into a full package including academic qualifications and workplace training. As with all of this type of training, the utilisation of the skills is vital to ensure complete competence. Having been shown how to do something, any individual will still need to practice that skill for several years before claiming complete competence. I understand that this UK government is proposing to shorten the training time for certain NVQs and to standardise and rationalise within the existing NVQ scope. This cannot be the way to go. Our apprentices have an enormous amount of work to undertake within the existing four year scheme and at the end of that time. They still require further practical usage to become a useful member of the company. Trying to cram this amount of work into half the time is simply ridiculous and harks back to the six-month YOP schemes which failed 20 years ago. An apprenticeship should be a minimum of four years in any technical discipline or the work cannot be covered in the required depth. We have formed a working partnership with Newport and District Group Training Association, a not-for-profit organisation which conducts all of the NVQ training and certification for our apprentices at their facility in Llantarnam. In partnership with NDGTA, we are able to tailor the training on offer for the skills required by our company. We are occasionally able to assist them in certain technical areas, but they are conscientiously looking after the welfare of our apprentices and making sure that they stay focussed and enjoy the experience. At the same time they are fighting with the changes being imposed on them by government. We fail in this country to realise the enormity of the task in hand. We suffer from a lack of collaboration between industry, government and academia. Each of these groups is hell bent on trying to maximise its own influence and fails to understand that they each have a responsibility to the young people of today and the industrial strength of tomorrow. Without a collective approach to training, we will not get an adequately skilled workforce for the challenges ahead. Of course, if we think we can operate as a service industry economy, without manufacturing, then we may as well carry on as we are. We need to get the local universities to get back to providing part-time courses in practical skills which are required by the engineering and manufacturing companies of the area. Industry does not want full-time academic qualifications once they have employed someone – they want to utilise the individual at the same time as giving them training. This is a partnership deal where the individual can upskill in their own time to enhance their worth to the company that they are working for. We encourage all of our employees to take up further education and are happy to pay for them to undertake courses in their own time providing the course is work related. This gives the individual the opportunity to better themselves and to take control of their own career. The results are a happy, motivated and a well-educated workforce.

Scott Pearson, managing director, Newport Transport

As the city's main bus provider of public transport we believe that vocational training is a very important part of the educational process. This is particularly relevant to our industry as all our bus drivers must undertake 35 hours of vocational training every five years, normally split into seven hours of training per year. This training gives PCV and HGV drivers, who are also required to do such training, the ability to keep up with ever-changing legislation and company best practice, so it is therefore a vital tool within the business. We also use this type of training to develop our staff as they move through the ranks within the business. Mainstream academic qualifications are still very important but to my mind these are simply a starting block for future staff development and guidance to ensure we never stop learning. Because of our support of vocational training we operate our own commercial driver training centre, which provides externally available courses in all areas of PCV, HGV, mini bus and fork lift driver training. Gwent boasts a burgeoning industry of companies that rely upon these skill sets and we feel it is important that we support them with cost-effective, high-skilled training provision in these areas. As a result we have seen lots of companies in Newport and the surrounding area with fleet vehicles utilising these facilitates.

Sarah John, commercial director, Acorn

Vocational qualifications are integral to our business. We view them as being a vital component towards developing individuals, companies and even our own workforce. We offer vocational training to a range of individuals and companies, whilst catering to a variety of sectors, including insurance and banking industries. We recruit apprentices when the opportunity arises. We deliver training to a variety of individuals. We recruit training advisors from specific sectors as they need to have evident knowledge and they need to have a high degree of work experience in order to deliver vocational training. Vocational qualifications can be tailored to align with businesses objectives, making them an extremely valuable and beneficial tool for corporate growth. We work closely with our employer and learner base to understand their training needs, endeavouring to always provide appropriate solutions. We consider work-based learning just as important as academic qualifications when looking for new staff and encourage our existing staff to undertake them as part of their on-going development. Learning and training is fast becoming ageless and limitless, with vocational study becoming more and more common. We produce bespoke programmes, tailored in line with client and learners’ requirements, meaning that vocational qualifications are flexible around their day-to-day work.

Dan Smith, M4 Property Consultants, Newport

We are supporters of vocational qualifications. They allow learning to be undertaken on the job and can be much more aligned to practical knowledge, understanding and skills that are relevant to the job that it being undertaken. We have found that they allow us to employ people who don’t necessary have the academic qualifications usually required to enter our industry, but do have the right attitude, drive, personality and personal skills to succeed. By putting them through vocational qualifications we can give them an opportunity they otherwise might not get, tailor their learning and allow them to develop themselves by gaining further skills and qualifications which can only be good for M4 Property Consultants in the long term.

John Newell, managing director, Kingston Newell Estate Agents, Newport

Vocational qualifications are important to us especially those focusing on customer service. Our industry is very people focused and there are times when you can find yourself dealing with anxious, fraught buyers or sellers. Our staff need to know how to work with them to secure a positive outcome for all involved. Our senior team members are encouraged to enrol on training courses accredited to the National Association of Estate Agents. These include specific vocational modules covering all facets of our industry. Academic qualifications are important but we certainly place more emphasis on the vocational qualifications.

Peter Heathcote, director, Budget Vets, Newport

While all of our vets have all the necessary academic qualifications required for their specific roles we do invest in numerous vocational training qualifications for both our administrative and animal care teams. We have our own internal training programmes that utilise the skills and experience of our senior management team and also contract the services of external training providers. Vocational qualifications are very important as they provide the key skills required to enable our business to provide not only a high standard of veterinary services but also very good customer care.

Elizabeth Garrido-Williams, practice manager, Howells Solicitors, Newport

Once law graduates have completed their degree and have obtained a certificate of completion of the academic stage of training, they will then need to complete the Legal Practice Course. At Howells we provide numerous options for our staff studying toward their LPC and it is beneficial for the company and individuals because this vocational course teaches the essential skills required to work in a solicitors’ office. Vocational training is very important and whilst it doesn’t provide the same in-depth learning and knowledge of the legal system as a Law degree, it certainly helps the Law graduates gain a thorough understanding about putting this into practice in real life situations whilst being assisted by qualified solicitors.

Jon Hayward, managing directo, Smart Solutions Training, Newport

Vocational qualifications are playing an increasingly important role in the development of the UK’s workforce, and this is reflected by the government’s push to increase the number of businesses employing apprenticeship staff. We operate in a variety of sectors including waste, food and automotive manufacturing as well as financial services, and our role is to work with employers to provide their staff with qualifications that meet the demands of the business, which will ultimately upskill workers and have a positive impact on wider business performance. Obviously there is a high demand for candidates with academic qualifications in the marketplace, but the value of individuals offering vocational qualifications should not be underestimated. As the significance of vocational qualifications become more and more apparent, it is important that Sector Skills Councils and awarding bodies play a more active role in the development of such training and offer additional courses in a broader range of areas.