More than 5,000 training courses have been undertaken by employees across the Leeds City Region since February 2015 with support from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Businesses have upskilled staff in everything from project management to welding qualifications with over £3m worth of training grants from the LEP’s skills service. Companies have also taken advantage of the wider support offered from the service including help with sourcing training provision and creating skills plans.
One business benefitting is Friends of Ham, a café bar in Leeds city centre specialising in craft beer, wine and cheese. Friends of Ham have been awarded a £1,216 grant from the LEP’s skills service to support 16 members of staff to gain the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 1 and Level 2 Award – a well-respected qualification within the industry that provides expert knowledge on grape varieties and wine pairing.
Friends of Ham opened on New Station Street in July 2012 with the aim of bringing high quality food and drink to Leeds in a relaxed, friendly and informal setting. Starting out as a tiny ground floor bar with a large ‘hidden’ basement, the business expanded into the unit next door and recently opened a second site in Ilkley, continuing to serve beer, wine and charcuterie.
Kirsty Morton, Training Manager at Friends of Ham, said: “We are so grateful to have received the crucial funds from the LEP skills service, as this allows our staff to continue to improve their expert product knowledge, and continue to be specialists in craft beer, fine wine and charcuterie. We pride ourselves on our love for what we do, and we want all members of staff to be involved and experience this.
“We have a policy of promoting from within so the training will support personal career development and help staff to serve customers with confidence as part of their roles as front of house sales. We hope that the training will increase sales through enthusiastic customer service and it is the first step of many investments across the business. We are continuously sourcing new and exciting products that we can offer to a range of customers in hopes of bringing them to the forefront of the hospitality industry, smaller independent businesses, suppliers and producers.”
Stephanie Burras CBE, Chair of the LEP’s Employment and Skills Panel said: “We’re delighted that we could provide Friends of Ham with the funding that the business needs for the next stage of its expansion plan.
“With grants of between £500 and £50,000 available to businesses with a budget to put towards training, employers have the opportunity to work with a team of expert skills advisors, discuss their long term growth plans and skills needs, and put together a robust training plan for their staff.
The LEP is dedicated to ensuring local businesses, primed for growth, have the skills to succeed.”
