http://www.intraining.co.uk/workforcedevelopment/News.php?id=02902d12e4c83c8aa2277aee4f8ac2b1

Intraining contact centre team answer the call to be apprentices

Posted: 16/01/2012

The contact centre staff at leading national training provider Intraining – have answered a call to undertake their own apprenticeship programme to better help their clients.

Twenty Intraining call centre staff, based in Sheffield, have enrolled on an apprenticeship both to improve their own skills and so they can offer comprehensive support to those inquiring about apprenticeships.

Contact Centre Manager, Maureen Matheau-Raven, said: “These employees are the first point of contact for many of our clients and the better trained and informed they are the better service they are able to provide.”

Those working in call centres are often perceived as unskilled workers and nothing could be further from the truth. It takes a great deal of competence to be able to handle the high volume and wide ranging queries we receive.

Each team member speaks to many different people about apprenticeships everyday. For this reason we felt that it was important for them all to have a thorough understanding of what an apprenticeship actually entails through all stages of the process.

The majority of the team are working towards an intermediate apprenticeship in customer service, with Maureen undertaking an advanced apprenticeship in management.

Maureen added: “The apprenticeship training is helping us create a much more skilled workforce. In fact, we’ve already noticed an increase in confidence and delivery among the team.”

There are a number of other benefits to apprenticeships which have also been cited by the employers that we work with, such as improving productivity which leads to a more competitive company.

The apprenticeships that the team are working towards comprise of three elements: a technical certificate and functional skills – which cover numeracy, literacy and IT – and an NVQ – the role specific, practical element to where employees are assessed in their day-to-day tasks.

Holly Goodall, 17, is one team member who is currently working towards an apprenticeship. Having completed her level 2 in Business Administration at Chesterfield College, she has now been taken on as an apprentice by Intraining to complete her level 3 qualification as part of her advanced apprenticeship.

She said:”Learning on the job is by far the best way. It definitely motivates me to continue with my learning as I get paid for what I’m doing. If I was just going to college everyday I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I’d just want to get out there and start earning money.”

Once my apprenticeship at Intraining comes to an end I really hope that there will be the opportunity to stay on here in the contact centre. I really enjoy the office environment and would love to be able to progress up the career ladder.

To find out more about Intraining and how your business could benefit from apprenticeships, contact 0330 123 1300 or visit www.intraining.co.uk.

Paul Champion
Strategic Project Manager

Mobile: 07540 704920