News and features

Mon, 10 Jan 2011

Insurance firm employees to study for NVQs

Swinton Insurance in Halifax has set up an initiative in which its workers can enrol on NVQ training courses.

More than 150 insurance brokers have already opted to take advantage of the company's decision to upgrade skills in the workforce.

These employees will study to get NVQ level two qualifications in contact centre operations as part of the firm's investment in staff training, reports the Halifax Evening Courier.

In addition, steps will also be taken to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of employees.

The Halifax branch of the company is also part of a pilot scheme in which workers will study to achieve NVQs in sales.

Some of the team leaders at Swinton Insurance are also undergoing training to get an A1 assessors award.

This would enable them to provide some training and assessment of staff in the future.

The majority of the studies will be done using e-learning technology and online resources.

One of the advantages of this form of education is that it provides workers with greater flexibility with regards to the pace of their learning.

It also means there are less likely to be operational disruptions in the company as workers leave the premises to go on training courses.

Earlier this month, the London Borough of Merton announced that an e-learning system it set up in January had increased staff training by 120 hours by June this year.

Chloe McSweeney, information strategy manager for Merton Council, told HR Magazine she was "delighted" with the positive results.

See how NVQs, through learndirect Business, combine work-based and online learning, to provide your staff with qualifications based on their job roles.