Skills and Economic Development

Provision of a training and skills enhancement programme.

1. A Skills and Economy Officer was recruited to address issues of worklessness, training and skills issues and to work to enhance local business prospects.
2. Hard evidence of the scale of these problems was obtained via a business skills’ audit across Dawlish and the neighbouring town of Teignmouth. Businesses were surveyed and given the opportunity to talk openly about training needs, and particularly barriers to training. Over 220 businesses responded to the survey (a 50% success rate).
3. Further proof of the negative impact on the local economy of a poor customer service was obtained via a Mystery Customer exercise. Feedback was given to local businesses in free workshops highlighting how poor customer service was damaging their trade, with tailored business consultations provided to help improve the situation.
4. We have been offering a follow up package of training opportunities comprising both bespoke training to particular needs and promoting better take up of existing training programmes.
5. As well as working to improve skills required for existing local businesses, we are working to widen the skill set to help vary the employment offer in the town and diversify the economy.
6. This work has been paid for using European funding secured via the Leader+ programme, Grant aid from the South West Regional Development Agency, the Learning and Skills Council and the Devon Tourism and Skills Network with matched funding from all three layers of local government.

Achivements in detail

1. Over 170 training places (to date) have been created in Dawlish alone over the last year, with more progressing all the time.
2. Courses provided have included:
   • Food Hygiene
   • Computing for Beginners
   • Health and Safety
   • First Aid
   • Skills for Life
   • Making Your Money Work
3. Local businesses attended our Customer Service workshops, which followed up the mystery customer exercise.
4. Tailored business consultations were held on customer service issues.
5. The Skills management panel of Trustees have been invited to form the Dawlish Community College Steering Committee for Technology status.
6. Evidence from the Skills Audit was instrumental in Dawlish Community College obtaining grant aid for polytunnels and garden equipment plus tuition and examination fees. The college has now developed sustainable horticultural links with River Cottage HQ linking into food technology and other parts of the curriculum
7. Work in progress on Town Centre Master Plan is creating a clear vision of changes needed which will provide for the first time a basis for all stakeholders to agree a common approach with co-ordinated action.
8. There is already clear evidence that several businesses in the town are responding to the stimulus of the project by remodelling and re-equipping their business to take part in the re-launch of Dawlish.

Summary

At this stage of the project's life the most successful achievements have been within our training and skills enhancement programme.

It is important to understand that the sheer number of training opportunities created and the careful attention given to the particular needs of individual businesses has been unique for Dawlish. It has spawned an effective partnership of Community Trust, Community College and the Chamber of Trade, which will continue to deliver for the future.

The creation of so many training opportunities and even more importantly the creation of a perception by individual small businesses of the need for greater investment in staff training and development is the seed corn that will begin the economic revitalisation of Dawlish.

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Dawlish Community Trust, Room 7, The Manor House, Old Town Street, Dawlish, Devon, EX7 9AP :: Telephone (01626) 866803