Argyll Training

Title : Argyll Training

As one of the first companies to sign up for ILA (Individual Learning Account) Scotland, Argyll Training have always encouraged their learners to apply for ILA Scotland funding. They've found the funding has really boosted opportunities for their learners, and they're branching out to capitalise on it.

Based in Oban, the company specialises in IT and vocational courses. Tanya MacDougall has worked at the company for 10 years and feels ILA Scotland is actually changing the focus of the organisation.  "We're part funded through Skillseekers and Get Ready for Work and the rest is private training provision. However, we're trying to do more private training with ILA Scotland, because it's the area we can really see growing, and we want to diversify to cover it," said Tanya.

She believes the funding available through ILA Scotland has had a significant effect on the amount of learners coming through the organisation.  "We've had almost 60 new trainees which we wouldn't have had without the ILA Scotland scheme, people who wouldn't have been able to afford training otherwise," she said.  "It means they can do a part time tutored ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) course for around £65, rather than the £310 (inc. VAT) it would cost without the individual learning account. It's a much less scary financial prospect."

Tanya believes that if the learner has paid for their qualification themselves, or have paid up to £200 of their individual learning account towards it, employers have to work harder to keep them.  She explained: "We've found that quite often if the employer pays for all of the learner's qualification, they then have to stay in company and 'work it off.' For example, in the care industry all employees have to pass first aid courses and the care VQ (vocational qualification). We discovered some employers then take the actual certificate and only give the employees a photocopy.  Being able to pay for their own course gives the learners much more control."

However, Tanya thinks the best thing learners get from the experience is the boost to their self-esteem: "It's all about the feeling they get when they walk away from the centre thinking 'I can do this.'  The difference in their confidence when you give them that certificate is immense. So many of them say 'Thank you,' and you say, 'No thanks needed - you did this yourself!'"