smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Training staff over the age of 40 can often be a problem for small businesses, mostly due to the costs and time management difficulties involved. However, small ventures on tight human resources budgets could soon overcome these problems following the launch of a new project by the e-skills National Training Organisation and the Association of Colleges in the Eastern Region (ACER).

The new initiative - called Mature People into IT (MaP>IT) - hopes to offer older employees the ability to pick up skills in new information and communication technologies (ICT) at a very low cost.

The project is open to mature employees of SMEs which have less than 250 employees, in any industry sector in the East of England region, as well as to individuals, such as the self-employed.

The training is available locally, as classroom-based or via internet courses - a flexibility that small businesses that can't spare their employees for training purposes (but need staff with the latest IT skills) will appreciate. The training costs as little as Ł25 by using the Government's Individual Learning Accounts (ILA's) scheme.

The launch of an initiative for older people should benefit many companies. According to programme director John O' Sullivan, "Already over half the UK's workforce is aged over 40 and this number is growing every year. The proportion of those over 40 in the ICT sector, however, is exceedingly low so it makes perfect sense to train experienced, competent, mature people to fill the ever-widening ICT skills gap."

The courses, backed by the European Social Fund, are due to start in September, and will cover, amongst other material, standard PC usage, e-business awareness, network set-up and administration, self-employed and entrepreneurialship skills and IT project management. Help with choosing the most suitable course options, career guidance and initial assessments are also available.

It is hoped that MaP>IT projects will be rolled out in other UK regions later this year.

Small businesses with mature employees who wish to take advantage of the project should contact ACER by phone on 01480-468198 or by e-mail to mapit@acer.ac.uk . Information regarding the Governments Individual Learning accounts scheme (which could be crucial in securing funding) can be obtained at www.my-ila.com .

With thanks to Lloyds TSB Success4Business. For more news and information visit www.success4business.com .

(08/8/01)

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