Glossary

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Basic Skills - skills in literacy and numeracy

BL - Business Link - managed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) providing practical advice to businesses at a regional level, as well as at a local level through a network of local operators.

BLWY - Business Link West Yorkshire - first choice for all small to medium-sized businesses in the West Yorkshire region looking for advice and support on any aspect of their business from Information Technology and Human Resources to Advertising and Marketing.

BTAL (UK) - Bradford Training Association Limited - Bradford based group training association consisting of 50 member companies, 45 of which currently employ trainees on foundation modern apprenticeships and advanced modern apprenticeships, and other training programmes in engineering and manufacturing.

CITB - Construction Industry Training Board - provides assistance in all aspects of recruiting, training and qualifying the construction workforce.

COVE - Centre of Vocational Excellence - set up by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and being implemented by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) primarily to address the need for vocational skills

CTS - City Training Services - City Training Services is the largest training provider of government funded training in the Bradford area. Offer NVQ levels 1, 2 or 3 programmes to 500 plus youth learners, and short individualised programmes for adult clients. Also a registered Learn Direct Centre and an approved ECDL test centre.

CVS - Community and Voluntary Service - An umbrella body for voluntary organisations in Bradford. Their role is to develop, support, promote and represent the interests of the voluntary and community sector.

DfES - Department for Education and Skills - Through working closely with other government departments and cross-departmental bodies the DfES aims to give children an excellent start in education, enable young people to equip themselves with life and work skills, and encourage adults to achieve their full potential through learning.

DPA - Data Protection Act of 1998

DTI - Department of Trade and Industry - The DTI works to create the best environment for business success in the UK helping people and companies become more productive by promoting enterprise, innovation and creativity. It invests heavily in world-class science and technology, protects the rights of working people and consumers and stands up for fair and open markets in the UK, Europe and the world.

ESF -European Social Fund - The ESF is one of four Structural Funds designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union. The ESF aims to:

• help unemployed and inactive people enter work
• provide opportunities for people at a disadvantage in the labour market
• promote lifelong learning
• develop the skills of employed people
• improve women's participation in the labour market

ERDF - European Regional Development Fund - The ERDF funds projects to improve communications and services, for example building roads.

FE - Further Education

HE - Higher Education

HND - Higher National Diploma - a diploma given for vocational training that prepares the student for a career in a particular area.

IAG - Information, Advice and Guidance

ICT - Information and Communication Technology

Key Skills - Key skills are a range of essential skills that underpin success in education, employment, lifelong learning and personal development. Key skills qualifications (levels 1-4) in communication, application of number and information technology (IT) are available across all post-16 routes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Also available at levels 1-4 are the wider key skills units: working with others, improving own learning and performance, problem solving.

LSC - Learning and Skills Council - The LSC is responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England.

LSCWY - Learning and Skills Council West Yorkshire - The LSCWY is responsible for learning in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. It is the second largest council in the country managing a budget of nearly £300 million.

LSP - Local Strategic Partnership - ie Bradford Vision, an independent, not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee whose prime responsibility is to deliver to the people of Bradford & District the key objectives of the 2020 Vision. The 2020 vision is a long term plan for the social, economic and environmental development of the Bradford District.

NVQ - National Vocational Qualification - NVQs are work-related, competence-based qualifications reflecting the skills and knowledge needed to do a job effectively, and show that a candidate is competent in the area of work the NVQ represents.

O2 - Objective 2 - ESF money is shared out under three Objectives, which are designed to focus resources on those in greatest need. Objectives 1 and 2 target specific regions or areas, while Objective 3 develops human resources. In particular Objective 2 aims to renew industrial, urban, rural and fisheries areas that are in decline. Areas eligible for Objective 2 funding are broken down into electoral wards. Objective 2 funding is not available to those areas that qualify for support through Objective 1.

RES - Regional Economic Strategy - The RES provides a framework of common priorities around which businesses, public agencies, voluntary groups and communities can focus their investment and effort. The strategy is owned, and can only be delivered, by the whole region working together.

The Strategy's six key objectives are to:

• Grow the region’s businesses
• Achieve higher business birth and survival rates
• Attract and retain more private and public investment
• Increase the quality, flexibility and responsiveness of education,
• learning and skills provision
• Connect all of the region’s communities to economic opportunity
• Enhance and utilise the region’s infrastructure of physical and environmental assets.

Social Enterprise - A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.

SRIP - Sub Regional Investment Planning - A new approach to ‘join up’ the way public sector funds are spent to maximise their impact on the delivery of the Regional Economic Strategy (RES). They set clear economic priorities based on the best available information and commission specific projects to address those priorities, with funding being sought from Yorkshire Forward’s single pot, European funds and other funding streams. This results in three main benefits: joined-up delivery, better quality projects, stronger partnerships and greater transparency.

SSDA - Sector Skills Development Agency- The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) funds, supports and champions the new UK-wide network of influential employer-led Sector Skills Councils (SSCs).

The role of the SSDA is to underpin and develop SSCs. In brief it will:

• Assist employers in sectors in bidding to become SSCs
• Fund, support and monitor the performance of SSCs across the UK
• Ensure quality and consistent standards across the network
• Provide minimum cover for essential functions in sectors without an SSC
• Ensure skills provision is designed to meet sector needs
• Ensure generic skills are effectively covered in the work of SSCs
• Promote best practice sharing and benchmarking between sectors
• Provide a website portal for public bodies and individuals to access high quality sectoral labour market intelligence across the UK

WFD - Work Force Development

WYSE Link - West Yorkshire Social Enterprise Link - Provides Social Enterprise Advisers in each district, Development Grants, and Learning Grants.

WYTAP - West Yorkshire Training Access Point - Project that is funded by the LSC and providing information on over 25,000 courses throughout West Yorkshire. Also enables training providers to publicise their courses.