 Cogent has launched its Skills Gold Standard a new national framework for continuous professional development. It sets out the skills required for world class performance in key job roles.
By using the Gold Standard employers will see increased productivity and profitability as skills gaps are closed and efficiencies increased.
The aspirational Gold Standard is based around four areas key to the Sector’s success:
- Technical Competence
- Business Improvement, including quality and innovation
- Health, Safety and Environment
- Functional and Behavioural Skills
It means that:
- Employers can benchmark job roles – from Process Technician to Plant Manager and beyond – against an industry endorsed standard.
- Employers can better define their skills needs and make clear what kind of training provision they require through Cogent’s partner the National Skills Academy Process Industries.
- A company’s investment in skills hits all the right business targets.
- Employers can achieve the accreditation of existing skills and identify gaps.
- Skills can be transferred across the Process Industries
- Providers have clarity to deliver quality assured, bite-sized Gold Standard training programmes
- Programmes can be delivered flexibly to meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
All of this can then be dovetailed with available Government funding.
Cogent CEO Joanna Woolf said “These wealth creating industries are striving to become even more productive and competitive, particularly in the current climate. The Cogent Gold Standard recognises that innovation and continuous improvement can only flow from the skills of employees. Upskilling is a clear imperative, not only around technical and business improvement skills, but also on core behavioural skills such as communications, customer service and the ability to work in teams.”
The templates for the following roles are now complete and have been fully endorsed by employers:
- Process Operator – Chemicals, Polymers and Composites
- Process Technician – Chemicals, Polymers and Composites
- 1st Line Supervisor/Manager – Chemicals and Polymers
- Packaging Setter/Operator – Pharmaceuticals
New fundable modular qualifications
In response to employer demand Cogent is currently developing smaller, Gold Standard modular qualifications for its Sector which provide a skills pipeline from entry-level qualifications to senior management, professional and technical qualifications at Levels 4 and 5.
The result is a suite of Awards, Certificates and Diplomas which provide employees with recognisable programmes of learning for example in process improvement and process operation.
This approach matches the way employers undertake training and removes the overlap between qualifications. Full funding is now available for Level 2 modular qualifications and Level 3 modular qualifications.
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