Xerox's aim is to meet the company vision: "to be a learning organisation of innovative, highly skilled, motivated people, working together in an environment characterised by openness, trust and respect to provide strategic advantage to the Business Divisions through benchmark products and services that delight customers".

"This centre is a tremendous asset to Xerox at Mitcheldean, enabling employees, both past and present, together with their family members, to improve their basic skills in English, Maths and Computer Skills".
Robin Fyffe, European Manufacturing Resources Manager.

The Skills for Life centre, which is open every day and runs sessions to fit in with complex shift patterns - early morning and evening are particularly popular - is now an accepted part of the company. Those attending the centre are not labelled or stigmatised in any way. In part this has been achieved by dispensing with misunderstood educational jargon, responding instead to individual needs and encouraging those who have no previous experience of training to take up the offer of vocational qualifications. The 245 people who attended the centre last year - 33 family members, 14 retired staff and 198 employees - worked for nationally recognised qualifications which give them the opportunity to continue with further education or training. Accreditation available includes RSA CLAIT, City and Guilds Wordpower and Numberpower, and Open College Network certificates.

Skills for Life benefits everyone. The company, a major employer in the Forest of Dean, has enhanced its reputation and gained a better educated and trained workforce ready to face technological changes. The Royal Forest of Dean College has widened its student base and improved its working relationship with Xerox through a more developed awareness of the needs and constraints on employers and employees.

For the participants, attendance at the Skills for Life centre provides the means to achieve nationally recognised qualifications that may lead to further education or training. It enhances their employment and promotion prospects as well as increasing their self-confidence, self-esteem and ability to tackle new challenges.

Although the project is special to Xerox, it could easily be set up in other companies. Governments, employers and training organisations see poor basic skills as a barrier to British companies' competitiveness at home and abroad. There is a national need for basic skills training at work and IT is a good way to get people started.

"I was very impressed with the work they are doing; it really changes people's lives." Diana Organ MP for the Forest of Dean
 
Drivers, loaders, a health and safety representative and a supervisor from the refuse collection company Gloucester City Services are brushing up their basic skills on a training scheme offered by the council and delivered by the Royal Forest of Dean College. With the attraction of studying for accreditation, these employees work on a range of communication skills; for example, improving their report writing and reading company documents to allow them a better understanding of procedures at work. Gloucester City Services is considering offering NVQ training in the future and this programme is seen as an opportunity for employees to develop the necessary confidence and skills. The company is working for an Investors In People award and the programme was seen as an opportunity for employees not only to achieve better results at work, but to give them the opportunity to learn for their own self-improvement. The eight employees involved are highly motivated and attend the course after their shift has finished in an unused company building. They are determined to succeed, as one employee said: "When we finish our course, we want the top people from the council and we want The Citizen [Gloucester newspaper] to show everyone that just because we are bin men we are not stupid."
Contact Sue Jeffery, co-ordinator of basic skills in industry at the Royal Forest of Dean College on 01594 833416 ext. 397.

In November 2000 the Royal Forest of Dean College won a bid to run the area's new online learning centre - learndirect. It opened in February 2001 on the Xerox site.

 
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