Ambassador Awards - Recognising Investment in Skills

The Ambassador Awards scheme was established by the LSC in 2004 to recognise those enterprises which have successfully embraced Skills for Life learning for their employees.

A number of companies from a diverse range of sectors in the Humber have successfully received the Ambassador Award accolade this year.

Linda Ainsworth, LSC Partnership Director for Hull comments: "Our award scheme helps recognise those employers which have successfully embraced Skills for Life training for their employees. All of the organisations which won awards have displayed a real commitment to the skills development of their respective work-forces and ultimately to the growth of our local economy. We hope that by publicising what they have achieved, we will encourage other employers to contact us to find out if they are worthy of an award and how they could start improving the levels of literacy and numeracy in their organisations."

NHS Trust

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which provides care services for over 1.2 million people, received the award in recognition of its strategy to radically improve the literacy and numeracy skills of its employees.

The strategy, which is currently being implemented, includes investing in time, training and resources and engaging and supporting learners to build on their existing skills. This, it is hoped will lead to an improvement in standards of care, increase motivation and accelerate career progression. The Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust hopes that it will ensure that every adult employed within the organisation is given the opportunity to develop their skills in a format that reflects their individual needs.

Rix & Sons

Hull-based J. R. Rix & Sons Ltd, one of Britain's leading family-owned fuel and oil distribution companies, received the award in recognition of their continued investment into an ESOL programme (English for Speakers of Other Languages), set up to develop the English language skills of some of their recently recruited Polish-born employees.

Scunthorpe-based TSC Foods Ltd, which produces high quality, chilled soups, sauces and dressings for the retail and foodservice industries, received the award in recognition of its continued commitment to provide Skills for Life opportunities for its workforce.

TSC currently employs a number of workers for whom English is a second language. Of the ten Polish and three Portuguese employees, all of whom have shown great potential to progress through the company, several have been identified as future Area Supervisors and Team Leaders. In order to help them realise their potential, TSC has sought extra training and support for employees to help them with their understanding of both verbal and written English, and this is where ESOL (English speakers of Other Languages) training is used.

Hereford Technology School

Teaching assistants at Hereford Technology School are encouraged to undertake continuous professional development to improve their skills. In September 2005 the school launched the Adult Numeracy Course, to support teaching assistants in the attainment of qualifications. Since then, many have used these skills to further their own training, with several going on to study for teaching assistant NVQs and foundation degrees.

The school has noticed many benefits associated with the training, including improved staff morale and motivation. Crucially, staff are working together to help and support each other, leading to a much higher level of competence and pride in their work. Building upon the success of the numeracy course, the school has launched an Adult Literacy Course this summer term.