Supporting businesses to build, develop and retain skilled workforces

We’re a trusted partner to employers, industry bodies, skills organisations, donor funders, NGOs, investment banks and governments, with over 50 years’ experience in skills development and technical vocational education and training.

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What we can help you with

Workforce insights

Our deep insights into the current and future skills needs are fostered out of the strong relationships we hold with industry to give us real-time intelligence into the workforce disruptions and challenges, innovative approaches and practical solutions industry needs.

Enabling collaboration

We bring together industry, associations, national stakeholders and governments with a passion for skills development to work collaboratively to identify the skills priorities for the sector and create industry-endorsed strategies that develop skilled and valued workforces. The connections we forge between employers and education help align skills to businesses' needs, ensuring an excellent source of future talent.

Skills standards development

We are at the forefront of developing apprenticeship, professional and occupational standards,working with employers to define the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for today’s workforce. Uniquely, we also support industry in maintaining the ongoing quality of standardsand apprenticeships through robust quality assurance models.

Expert consultancy

Our team of expert international consultants support countries with a true thirst for professional development, who are passionate about helping young people, challenging social and gender exclusion, addressing the barriers to work and supporting continuous professional development of the existing workforce. We specialise in developing Technical & Vocational Education Training(TVET) strategies, helping to set out the strategic direction of skills development at an industry, local, regional or national level.

Practical, responsive solutions

As the industry expert in skills, we offer a wide range of support and sustainable, practical solutions that are developed in collaboration with employers to help businesses maximise the potential of their workforce. Our products and services, such as our WorldHost programme,career pathway tool and suite of training and assessment services are trusted by organisations globally to deliver results through an innovative, human and transformative approach.

Latest news

Free ‘Getting Games Ready’ training programme opens to help businesses deliver a warm welcome

A new training programme with 7,000 free places will prepare tourism businesses across the West Midlands to deliver an unrivalled visitor experience at every touch point during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

17/01/2022

New WorldHost programme set to transform skills of customer service supervisors

A new programme has been introduced as part of the globally recognised WorldHost suite of customer service training to develop the skills of customer service supervisors and support businesses in achieving customer service excellence.

06/10/2021

New occupational standards for travel prepare workforce for changed environment beyond Covid-19

As the travel industry adapts its operations as it enters recovery mode, employers have led a full review of occupational standards to reflect current and emerging practices, helping to secure a resilient post pandemic workforce.

17/09/2021

‘Our Hospitality and Tourism Commitment’ launches to help secure future talent and show that industry is changing for the better

A new employer commitment has been launched in Northern Ireland today by leading hospitality and tourism operators in an endeavour to change the wider perception of the sector and commit industry to work together and become an ‘employer of choice’, providing good quality training, work-life balance and support to their people.

13/09/2021

How can TVET work effectively with the private sector in fast-changing economies?

What are the practical steps to form effective partnerships between technical vocational education & training (TVET) and the private sector? We share our insights in this article for the British Council VET Toolbox Seminar.

Jane Rexworthy

29/11/2021

A framework to cultivate talent for future digital skills

The importance of digital skills has grown exponentially and as we emerge from the pandemic it’s clear that these skills will be critical to help young people succeed in the labour market.

Our international experience highlights there are four key factors to successfully develop an infrastructure that will nurture digital skills.

Kate Tetley

28/10/2021

Creating a customer service culture

Now more than ever customer impact is a critical part of business decisions. And in a strong service culture, everyone understands what customers need, and what they value.To create a service culture, customer service needs to be interwoven into every aspect of the business. So what are the top 5 principles to achieve this?

Mark Smith

05/10/2021

A change for the better? L&D professionals reflect on the last 18 months

In our latest peice for Training Journal, our expert trainer and curriculum writer, Mark Smith shares a recap of post-Covid learning and insights from training and development professionals we've been working with, as well as feedback from our network on some of the key issues.