Community Partnership: Business/Apprentice Support Project 
Report to the Board Meeting – December 15th, 2009
 
Since the last report we have added two more business/apprentice participants to the project and hence the total now stands at 17 participating businesses and 19 apprentices. This is now the final tally for the pilot project which will finish in 2013. 

The latest additions are:

1. James Bissett Electrical- based in Killin -sponsored by SECTT (their 6th !)
   
   
2. Jason Campbell Plumbing based in Killin. Funds were sought in a last minute “trawl” of existing sponsors and we were able to obtain one-off payments or commitments totalling £4250. This sum will allow us to support the business and the apprentice for two full years including admin. costs -but without any contingency (£400). There is, however, always the prospect of obtaining further funds. Current sponsors are Rural Stirling Housing Association, Cruden Foundation, Walker Group and Strathfillan CDT.

In general, the project is proceeding satisfactorily however, we are missing inputs from the business support officer (- a post which was previously occupied by John Cunningham  and then by Ricky McGilchrist.) We are hoping that SDS will be able to second someone to  us in the near future. This should relieve our small team of the task of maintaining regular contact with the project participants as well as providing opportunities for further  “added  value” work. On this latter we have already paid modest sums from our contingency funds  for training courses on manual handling(5 persons) and computer operations (3 persons)  and the interest in development activities by the project participants appears to be increasing.
 
We have also become involved in expansion plans for one of our participants and have set up meetings with Business Gateway and the company so that help will be given in preparing a business plan for submission to the bank.
 
With regard to  “Marketing” the project to other agencies or organisations I attended the Cross Party Group on Skills meeting in the Scottish Parliament in October and  a second meeting will take place on December 11th. I judge that this is a forum wherein will be able  to make useful contacts and present the project model to a very wide audience of training  professionals and their organisations. Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie has been proactive on our behalf and, through her efforts, had persuaded Fiona Hyslop to visit the project with a provisional date of January 26th 2010. However, since Mike Russell has now taken over as Skills & Life-Long Learning Minister we are presently unsure if this visit will go ahead.
 
 
Ron Dalton
Interim Board Director – Community Partnership
December 8th 2009