News
Xchanging apprentice training provision to BAE Systems receives top rating from OFSTED
11 Aug 2010
LONDON, 11 August 2010 - Xchanging is delighted to have been recognised in an OFSTED report as 'Grade 1 Outstanding’ for the Funded Learning Programmes Services it provides to BAE Systems’ apprenticeships scheme. OFSTED inspect and regulate to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages.
Xchanging supports BAE Systems in developing skills and talent for the future through the Funded Learning Programmes Service, part of the Skills 2020 strategy from BAE Systems. Each year Xchanging recruits over 200 apprentices on behalf of BAE Systems, and manages and trains approximately 800 learners at various stages of their apprenticeships in the UK. Through its Skills 2020 strategy, BAE Systems is committed to investment in its people and ensuring a continued pipeline of engineering talent.
Commenting on the rating, Nigel Whitehead, BAE Systems Group Managing Director, Programmes & Support said, "The OFSTED result is a source of enormous pride for the Company, our apprentices and their training managers. Apprenticeships make excellent business sense for BAE Systems with the cost of our investment in their training and development repaid within one year of completion of their apprenticeship".
The success stems from a strong partnership approach between BAE Systems, Xchanging and other learning partners. In particular the report notes that “BAE Systems has a very close working relationship with its main sub-contractor, Xchanging”. The report goes on to state that “Xchanging staff work extremely effectively with business managers” with the result that apprentices “enjoy their training and speak highly of their experience”.
Paddy Byrne, Xchanging Executive Director of UK Region added, “We are very pleased to have managed and delivered an Apprentice training capability to BAE Systems for over nine years. This Ofsted rating illustrates the effectiveness of the programme with BAE Systems and our commitment to improving skills through access to funded learning programmes”.
About Xchanging’s Funded Learning Programmes Services
Xchanging trains and assesses the competence of approximately 1000 apprentices every year and manages six Awarding Organisation accredited assessment centres on behalf of its customers.
In 2009, Xchanging supported apprentices and customers to win over 10 awards and achieve two OFSTED ‘Grade 1 - Outstanding’ ratings for overall effectiveness of provision.
Providing advisory services to BAE Systems to manage over £4M government funding per annum, Xchanging’s Funded Learning Programme is scrutinised through an independent financial audit for the appropriate use of funds. The programme success rates are over 85%, compared to a national average of 71%.
For further information, please contact:
Xchanging Group PR
Meeta Thareja
Tel: +44 (0)20 7780 5374
meeta.thareja@xchanging.com
Xchanging UK
Tim Hymans
Tel : +44 (0)1634 887 618
tim.hymans@xchanging.com
Cardew Group
Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 0777
xchanging@cardewgroup.com
About Xchanging
Xchanging is one of the largest and fastest growing business processors. With a wide range of multinational customers in 42 countries and employing over 8,000 people, we are a truly global company. Our aim is simply to provide business processing services better, cheaper and faster.
Xchanging provides procurement, accounting, human resources and technology services across industries. These include banking, insurance, manufacturing, retail and real estate among others. We combine functional expertise with deep industry domain knowledge to provide industry-specific outcomes for our customers.
Listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2007, the company is in the FTSE250, the index of mid-capitalised companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. Xchanging is also a member of the FTSE4Good index which measures the performance of companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.