Universal Skills is granted Inclusivity Charter status
12 Dec 2024
(Pictured left to right): Louise Young (Business Support Manager at United Skills), Dan Taylor (Centre Manager at United Skills), Katy Garside (Training Delivery Manager at United Skills), Reuben Davison (Business Development Manager at LCL Awards)
Universal Skills prides itself on being an inclusive, supportive environment for learners, staff, and visitors alike, a fact recognised on a recent visit before it was granted Inclusivity Charter status in November. The training centre is well established in Wakefield and run by Dan Taylor, who left a career with British Gas to join the company in 2017. It caters for a wide range of learners from apprentices to older learners looking to up-skill or make a career change and has been an approved LCL Awards centre since 2022.
For learners at Universal Skills a strong foundation is set from the very start, when they are given the opportunity to highlight any extra support they may need, through a structured onboarding process. This takes the form of a one-to-one interview with a trainer, after a candidate has passed their initial assessment and before they start the course. The interaction puts learners at ease and gives the company the chance to communicate its behavioural expectations, core values, and the support systems that have been set up to ensure everyone feels comfortable.
The welcoming atmosphere at Universal Skills is underpinned with clear displays and resources around the building, including information on safeguarding officers, mental health first aiders, and other key contacts. There are digital boards showcasing cultural celebrations and awareness days and the centre has a quiet room that can be used as a prayer room for individuals of all faiths.
Universal Skills takes a proactive approach to training its staff in core topics such as unconscious bias and discrimination, which further reflects its commitment to safety and respect for all. The company upholds an open-door policy to ensure both learners and staff can comfortably voice concerns and there are dedicated support channels through HR as well as quarterly one-on-one meetings to support this. Universal Skills has introduced a Future Skills programme where staff are encouraged to come forward with good ideas so that they are involved in the development of the business.
Katy Garside, the centres Training Delivery Manager, explains how the company promotes the success stories of its trainees to inspire others:
“We capitalise on the positive experiences of our learners and the journeys they make once they leave us. When a potential candidate, sees a case study on our website about someone like themselves who has made a successful career change or found a good position with one of our professional partners, such as OVO or Octopus Energy, it encourages them to take the leap. Our learners are great people and we’re proud to promote the hard work and dedication they put in.
“We want to inspire as many people as we can to consider an engineering career and our efforts to break down the preconception that apprenticeships are just for school leavers are paying off. We have apprentices of all ages now - and even some of our staff have become apprentices! At the moment we’re working to expand Green Skills funding that will ensure that affordable training opportunities are accessible to even more learners.”
The team at Universal Skills, like many of our centres, was forced during the COVID lockdowns to take drastic measures to ensure the continued support of its learners. Business Support Manager, Louise Young, remembers how quickly they had to adapt:
“We had over 200 apprentices at the time, and we had to keep teaching so that our funding would continue. We quickly figured out different ways to deliver course content - sometimes live-streaming, sometimes through filmed content. It was tough going at the time, but it meant that as life began to return to normal, we had developed new course delivery skills and built up an archive of material that we still use today. This has made our training provision more adaptable and a blended approach suits learners who live far away or have other commitments that make training in-centre more difficult.
“LCL Awards’ Ecordia, and our online portfolio platform mean that we can support learners with record keeping and online assessment which allows for accessible, flexible learning, tailored to individual needs – particularly those of remote learners. What felt like a significant challenge at the time, has given us a way to be more accommodating.
“It’s so good that our commitment to inclusivity has been recognised by LCL Awards. We’re thrilled to have been awarded Charter Status and will use it to promote the centre to new groups of people we hope to attract to the industry.”
To find out more about Universal Skills, please click here. And for more information on LCL Awards’ Inclusivity Charter – please click here.
(Pictured left to right): Louise Young (Business Support Manager at United Skills), Dan Taylor (Centre Manager at United Skills), Katy Garside (Training Delivery Manager at United Skills), Reuben Davison (Business Development Manager at LCL Awards)
Universal Skills prides itself on being an inclusive, supportive environment for learners, staff, and visitors alike, a fact recognised on a recent visit before it was granted Inclusivity Charter status in November. The training centre is well established in Wakefield and run by Dan Taylor, who left a career with British Gas to join the company in 2017. It caters for a wide range of learners from apprentices to older learners looking to up-skill or make a career change and has been an approved LCL Awards centre since 2022.
For learners at Universal Skills a strong foundation is set from the very start, when they are given the opportunity to highlight any extra support they may need, through a structured onboarding process. This takes the form of a one-to-one interview with a trainer, after a candidate has passed their initial assessment and before they start the course. The interaction puts learners at ease and gives the company the chance to communicate its behavioural expectations, core values, and the support systems that have been set up to ensure everyone feels comfortable.
The welcoming atmosphere at Universal Skills is underpinned with clear displays and resources around the building, including information on safeguarding officers, mental health first aiders, and other key contacts. There are digital boards showcasing cultural celebrations and awareness days and the centre has a quiet room that can be used as a prayer room for individuals of all faiths.
Universal Skills takes a proactive approach to training its staff in core topics such as unconscious bias and discrimination, which further reflects its commitment to safety and respect for all. The company upholds an open-door policy to ensure both learners and staff can comfortably voice concerns and there are dedicated support channels through HR as well as quarterly one-on-one meetings to support this. Universal Skills has introduced a Future Skills programme where staff are encouraged to come forward with good ideas so that they are involved in the development of the business.
Katy Garside, the centres Training Delivery Manager, explains how the company promotes the success stories of its trainees to inspire others:
“We capitalise on the positive experiences of our learners and the journeys they make once they leave us. When a potential candidate, sees a case study on our website about someone like themselves who has made a successful career change or found a good position with one of our professional partners, such as OVO or Octopus Energy, it encourages them to take the leap. Our learners are great people and we’re proud to promote the hard work and dedication they put in.
“We want to inspire as many people as we can to consider an engineering career and our efforts to break down the preconception that apprenticeships are just for school leavers are paying off. We have apprentices of all ages now - and even some of our staff have become apprentices! At the moment we’re working to expand Green Skills funding that will ensure that affordable training opportunities are accessible to even more learners.”
The team at Universal Skills, like many of our centres, was forced during the COVID lockdowns to take drastic measures to ensure the continued support of its learners. Business Support Manager, Louise Young, remembers how quickly they had to adapt:
“We had over 200 apprentices at the time, and we had to keep teaching so that our funding would continue. We quickly figured out different ways to deliver course content - sometimes live-streaming, sometimes through filmed content. It was tough going at the time, but it meant that as life began to return to normal, we had developed new course delivery skills and built up an archive of material that we still use today. This has made our training provision more adaptable and a blended approach suits learners who live far away or have other commitments that make training in-centre more difficult.
“LCL Awards’ Ecordia, and our online portfolio platform mean that we can support learners with record keeping and online assessment which allows for accessible, flexible learning, tailored to individual needs – particularly those of remote learners. What felt like a significant challenge at the time, has given us a way to be more accommodating.
“It’s so good that our commitment to inclusivity has been recognised by LCL Awards. We’re thrilled to have been awarded Charter Status and will use it to promote the centre to new groups of people we hope to attract to the industry.”
To find out more about Universal Skills, please click here. And for more information on LCL Awards’ Inclusivity Charter – please click here.