Skills in the Workplace Award

Skills in the Workplace Award - supported by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, and in association with Asset Skills - Recognising large employers that are creating learning cultures: developing the skills of their workforce, to meet both the needs of the business and of employees.”

The closing date for this category has now passed.

Who can enter?
In general, every category of the Awards for Excellence 2010 is open to all members of business in the Community, and to any other private sector companies that have a business presence in the UK.
The awards are not open to social enterprises, voluntary sector organisations or public sector bodies, except those that are members of Business in the Community.

The award recognises and rewards companies that are addressing the talent challenge by up skilling and re-skilling in the workplace, and can demonstrate the business and society benefits of developing a learning culture. 

It replaces the previous Skills for Life and Talent award categories.  To better reflect the wide range of activity that takes place across organisations, this new award category recognises all forms of skills development within the workplace, at every level. 

As well as potentially focusing on basic skills, other development could include NVQs, Apprenticeships, higher level skills and informal learning initiatives.

The changing economy puts skills at the heart of the UK’s ability to be competitive.  The scale of the issue:

• 1 in 3 UK adults admit that their inadequate literacy and numeracy skills have cost their company money
• 1 in 5 adults can’t calculate the change they’re given or understand vital instructions.
• 1 in 6 adults lack the literacy to look up a plumber in the Yellow Pages.
• Half of our workforce today is not qualified beyond level 2, the equivalent of five good GCSEs.
• By 2020 there will be 3 million fewer low skilled jobs in Britain than there are today.
• Over 40% of all jobs in 2020 will require a graduate level qualification.
• The top 10 jobs that will be in demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004. 
• With 75% of the 2020 workforce already out of education, employers must step up to the challenge of supporting their people to gain better skills.

Many organisations are benefiting from the positive impact of up skilling and re-skilling their employees.

Has your organisation has created a learning culture that is making a positive impact in skills development in the workplace? 

If so, we encourage you to come forward and share your story.