The Coronavirus outbreak has turned the country and the rest of the world on its head, and it has had a huge impact on businesses, both chains and those who are self-employed. But City of Bristol College is doing what it can to support its partners and employers.
The College will continue to support apprentices and employers through this difficult time and continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain a ‘business as usual’ approach.
Contact has been made with employers using a range of different tools including Microsoft Teams, Notebook and Zoom for conferencing. The College has also been arranging various telephone and Skype interviews with employers and apprentices to maintain relationships and to advertise apprentice vacancies.
The move also promotes human connectivity and keeping in touch to ensure partnerships can continue during and after this unprecedented time.
The majority of apprentices, where possible, will be continuing their learning through the online platform.
Head of Business Partnerships, Paul Rogers, said: “We have been supporting all businesses through this difficult period by answering multiple queries about existing apprenticeship arrangements. We have also been helping them, with how a business can prepare themselves to be in a stronger position to take advantage of all opportunities after the current isolation period is lifted.”
The team at Partners in Bristol (PiB), a new solution-focused training provider owned by the College, has created an online learning portal to support all employers in the current situation.
PiB has also been working closely with employees who have been signed off on furlough or have been made redundant as a result of the outbreak. The team has been working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to identify new groups of people who may need support.
PiB has now created a bank of 200 online courses which offer people the opportunity to use the isolation period as a chance to learn a new skill at an entry level, for example in Accountancy, English and more.
Director of Quality & Operations, Rob Hazelton, said: “This can be a difficult time for anyone, but for those who are uncertain about their future employment, this can be a very trying and nervous time. We at PiB and City of Bristol College want to be able to help those who have been laid-off by the recent events and to encourage people to follow their aspirations using our new online learning portal.”
For more information, check the Employer page on our website.
