Bridging the Gap conference sessions now available to watch online

Businesses interested in learning more about the Apprenticeship Levy are now able to watch the presentations from last month’s Bridging the Gap conference online.

Around 60 delegates from across the furniture and interiors industry attended the one-day conference, which was organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity.

Chaired by Gary Baker, managing director of CDUK, the distributor of Corian® in the UK and Ireland, the event took place on Thursday 18 May at Furniture Makers’ Hall, London.

The speakers and workshops given at the conference were:

• Cathy Hough, associate at Occupational Awards, ‘The Apprenticeship Levy’
• Julie Dix, training & development manager at Silentnight Brands, ‘Making the most of the levy: progression routes & higher apprenticeships’
• Craig Matson, chairman of the Kitchen Education Trust; and Johnny Grey, founder of Johnny Grey Studios, ‘A Rare Opportunity For The Kitchen Industry’
• Chris Hyde, director of curriculum design at City of Oxford College, ‘How to work with a Training Provider’
• Martin James, commercial director at Didac, ‘The impact of the levy on the furnishing industry; and should it establish an Apprenticeship Training Agency?’
• Lisa Williamson, operations & quality senior manager at Occupational Awards, ‘The progress of the Level 2 and 3 Apprenticeship Standards’
• Dr Lynn Jones, specialist furniture head-hunter and furniture careers adviser, ‘The challenges graduates face getting into the industry…and the disconnect between The challenges industry face getting good employees’
• Jade Ilke, founder of Designing Futures, ‘Designing Futures’
• Charles Vernon, education & training chairman at The Furniture Makers’ Company, and Gary Baker, managing director of CDUK, ‘The Establishment of a Furniture Industry Skills Forum’.

Charles Vernon, training and education chairman at The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “Last month’s Bridging the Gap conference was a complete success with representatives from across the furniture, furnishings, beds & bedding, kitchen and education sectors uniting together to network and learn about the Apprenticeship Levy from our expert speakers. However, we want the whole of the industry to recognise and understand the unresolved training and education issues affecting the trade. These short films enable anyone who was unable to attend the event to find out more about the levy and how they can utilise it to launch or improve apprenticeship programmes.”

The Bridging the Gap conference followed the 2015 Mind the Gap report and event, organised by the Company and the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA), which identified that a skills shortage is developing within the furnishing industry.

To watch the Bridging the Gap conference, go to http://bit.ly/WatchBTG.