The emskills project, has been operational in the East Midlands for over four and a half years.  The project developed a self assessment and quality improvement model, with external validation by City and Guilds, applicable to the provision of training for employers.  The quality improvement aspects of the project are on-going, though the accreditation has now been subsumed within the Training Quality Standard (TQS).

Its first phase was funded by the LSC and emda.  The project's aim was to determine agreed best practice benchmarks to support the development of a regional brand that employers recognise as being a standard for excellent provision in employer engagement. The initial phase of the project researched the ways in which employer engagement is carried out by providers of training and highlighted best practice across the region. Existing, or developing, models in other regions were also looked at during the initial phase of the project. The data collected in 2004 was used to develop a quality assurance framework and assessment criteria. The assessment model gave a central role for self-assessment, with each provider undergoing an external validation of its quality assurance procedures.

Whilst the emskills initiative is being led by EMFEC, the project team for the first phase reflected the diverse training provider base in the East Midlands. The working group, therefore, included representatives from the Sector Skills Development Agency, private training providers, HE, FE, Jobcentre Plus as well as the LSC and emda.

Part of the project was to seek out good practice in employer engagement.  A publication Focus on Success - a good practice guide for employer engagement was launched in March 2007 which described outstanding examples.  Hard copies can be obtained from EMFEC.

The emskills Awards Event held at the East Midlands Conference Centre on 15 March 2007 marked the end of the first phase of this LSC/emda funded project programme on a very enjoyable and positive high note with the presentation of certificates to 29 colleges and private training providers who had achieved the emskills standard.  Keynote contributions from Ged Leahy, Director of Strategic Workforce and Skills Planning at Rolls Royce, Andrew Stone, Project Manager at City and Guilds and the simultaneous launch of a project publication, "Focus on Success" - a good practice guide for employer engagement ensured that the event was significant as a high profile means of celebrating the success of the project and recognising the impact of the work that the regional partners have done to raise the quality of training and development for employers in our region.

As all the project participants have found, the real benefit of emskills has been the development of the self-assessment model which helps a provider to assess the effectiveness of the training and development that they deliver to employers, the application of the model to their own organisation, and the partnership approach to staff development which has supported them.  The East Midlands region - colleges; private training providers; the LSC; the RDA - has invested extensively in emskills as a regionally developed solution that meets the region's needs.

emskills Awards Event 15 March 2007 at the East Midlands Conference Centre - Award winners after presentation of certificates.