Shipping Training Gets U.K. Government Boost

ITS Training Services is one of the five training centers in the U.K. to receive a Center of Vocational Excellence award. The award, worth $443,334, was issued by the Learning and Skills Council, the government body responsible for all post-16 education in England. It recognizes the role ITS Training Services plays in providing high quality, specialist training and consultancy in the fields of shipping and international trade and provides funding for the further development of learning packages. Commenting on the achievement, John Edson, managing director of ITS Training Services, says, "Our aim is to provide high quality training and help those already working in the industry to develop their skills. Not only does this national recognition reinforce our role in providing effective training in all areas of shipping, trade and logistics, it is also a credit to all our staff involved." The Center of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) award will provide ITS Training Services with over $443,334 to help fund capital improvements and develop new learning packages. Bryan Sanderson, chairman of the Learning and Skills Council, says, "By 2010 seven out of ten jobs will require a level of skills that currently only half of our young people currently hold. Partnership between the government, employers and learning providers is essential to provide businesses with the skills they desperately need and individuals with the skills to find work in a fast-changing economy. The more employers invest in training and developing their employees, the more secure and successful their businesses will be."