The Furniture and Interiors Education, Skills and Training Alliance (FIESTA) has entered into an agreement with the Apprenticeship Management Group to launch a new initiative, Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus, that will support furnishing businesses of all sizes to recruit and manage apprentices.
Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus was established in July 2018 and will offer businesses a specialist apprentice recruitment service, Apprentice Training Agency (ATA) and Levy Management Company.
Gary Baker, chairman of FIESTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Apprentice Management Group. Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus will be a pathway for employers to recruit and develop the skills of the next generation. Companies that sign up to Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus will receive advice and guidance on the best training that is available to the sector.
“Through Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus, micro and SME non-levy paying employers will be able to access a much wider selection of funded skills training, while large employers can outsource the apprenticeship management to obtain best value for money and real time monitoring from their apprentice levy digital accounts.”
John Henry, director at the Apprenticeship Management Group, said: “Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus will enable employers in the sector to fill their skills gaps and look to establish training and progression plans both now and well into the future. Young people entering the furniture and interiors sector and existing employees wishing to up-skill are looking for learning opportunities and career progression, which is precisely what Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus will help them achieve.
“We urge all companies large or small to take advantage of Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus and I am confident that they will reap the benefits in very short time. Business leaders wish to focus on their core business opportunities and do not need to spend their valuable time and expense on seeking to access opportunities in training that we will do for them. I am confident that they will be delighted at the outcomes the Furniture and Interiors Skills Plus team will achieve on their behalf.”
