Telford College is to open a ‘shop’ in the heart of the town’s main retail centre aimed at improving skills and boosting job prospects of people across the borough.
The Skills Shop, based in a unit at the Telford Centre, will offer training and education opportunities to people of all ages while also showcasing what the college has to offer to learners and employers.
The shop will offer a range of services, including a new retail and hospitality academy, which will offer support and courses for businesses in the Telford Centre looking to train and upskill their teams and new staff.
Telford College’s Executive Director of Employer Engagement and Partnerships, Sarah Davies, said the shop would also be the base for new youth unemployment services delivered in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions.
She said: “We’re really excited about what this new shop can bring, not just to young people in Telford, but people of all ages when it comes to boosting skills and workforce development. The shop will highlight the support Telford College can offer both learners and employers, from post-16 vocational courses to apprenticeships and the ability to design study and training programmes to match business demand.
“Through the array of services offered in the Skills Shop, we will be able to help people into work and we’re also hoping to run some courses from the shop too.”
Small group teaching sessions will be run from a digital learning area, with larger teaching sessions taking place in nearby classroom space.
The retail and hospitality academy will be launched to run alongside the college’s health and social care academy and has been developed following a survey sent out to businesses.
To assist employers, the shop will be able to put prospective employees through qualifications such as food hygiene, to ensure they are ready for the workplace.
The shop, which will be open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays, will also offer other vocational learning opportunities.
Staff will be available to support with apprenticeships, career advice and guidance, with adult learning opportunities on offer, as well as employer engagement activities, recruitment support services and wider community outreach programmes.
The Department of Work and Pensions will also be opening up a Youth Employment Hub that will sit inside the Skills Shop.
It is being opened to provide young people not in education, employment or training (NEETS) with support in Telford as they currently have to travel to Shrewsbury to visit Shropshire’s only hub.
