The formula is simple says Amin Jangua, vocational training equals business success. And now employers are getting help to boost skills The government's recently announced Skills Strategy has once again turned the spotlight on skills in Britain. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) ­ the government body responsible for all post-16 education and training ­ is delivering the strategy's proposals on the ground. In other words, the LSC will be bringing the most effective and relevant training solutions to the businesses of Britain. The Employer Training Pilots represent one such project being spearheaded by the LSC. Originally announced in the 2002 budget, the government has thrown its full support behind the training pilots and committed a total of £170m towards ensuring they are a success. They were created in response to research which showed a key barrier to employers training their low-skilled workers was the cost of giving them time off to study. It also showed employees felt there was a lack of time left for learning due to work schedules. In addition to paying for training, the ETP project overcomes barriers by reimbursing those employers who agree to give low-skilled employees paid time off work for education and training. The formula is simple, yet dramatic results are already being reaped by many retail organisations such as my own. We at Mobs Mini Market pride ourselves on delivering a high quality of customer service. I am keen for all of my employees to have relevant customer relations qualifications. Having taken part in and profited from the LSC's Modern Apprenticeship initiative, we were confident the ETP project would also bring us business benefits. We contacted our local LSC in Manchester and an assessor visited us on site to formally gauge what our skills needs were and the most effective way of tackling them. We decided that one of our employees would benefit from participating in the pilots and she is now well on her way to achieving her NVQ Level 2 in customer relations. Something extra' I have deliberately sought to establish a culture of vocational training within my company, as I have experienced first hand the successes this can bring. I gained my NVQ Level 5 in Small Business Development Training for Owners in 1996, which taught me invaluable managerial skills. It also highlighted that, despite opinion from some corners of the business world, vocational training is a valid alternative to the academic route. Of equal importance, a certificate is gained on completing a NVQ. My employee who took part in the ETP project pointed out there are many shop assistants working in Britain today, therefore the opportunity to gain a certificate showing she has "that something extra" was one she did not want to miss. From an employer's point of view, taking part in the pilots gives our workers the assurance that we have their development front of mind, helping us retain the right calibre of staff. Clearly, ETPs make sound business sense, especially since they focus on improving basic skills within the workplace. Such basic skills are classed as the ability to read, write and use numbers to the level of an 11-year-old. Astonishingly, there are seven million adults lacking these basic skills in Britain. Less astonishingly, this is having a debilitating effect on the retail sector and the UK economy. According to DfES, industry loses £4.8bn a year because of inadequate literacy and numeracy skills. Over a third of companies with a literacy and numeracy skills gap say they have lost business or orders to competitors because of it. And it is small businesses that are suffering most, as they tend to lack the training tradition and have no budget put aside for employee education. Although organisations of all shapes and sizes are eligible to take part in the ETP project, small businesses are a particular target and should take advantage. Encouragingly, 2,000 employers ­ 10% of them in the retail sector ­ have already signed up for the project in the pilot areas which include Birmingham and Solihull, Derbyshire, Essex, Greater Manchester, Swindon and Wiltshire, Tyne and Wear, Berkshire, Kent, Leicestershire, London East, Shropshire and South Yorkshire. Taking part in LSC initiatives, such as Modern Apprenticeships and Employer Training Pilots, has allowed me to double the size of my business and profits. I urge other retailers to exploit the training resources available and reap the benefits. {{JOBS & CAREERS }}