In September last year the Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire County Council, Mr. Bryn Parry-Jones, endorsed the Basic Skills Employer Pledge as a commitment to helping employees improve their literacy and numeracy skills.
On Friday, in recognition of this pledge, the award was presented to Mr Huw James, the Council’s Director of Support and Cultural Services, by Sandra Morton, Assistant Director of the Basic Skills Agency.
The Council is one of just a dozen organisations in Wales to receive the award.
An action plan – developed with support from the Employer Pledge National Support Project – was monitored recently and this highlighted the progress made since last September.
Sixty-seven employees have undertaken training opportunities which shows the obvious commitment the Authority has made.
Almost every job within the County Council needs some competence in basic skills and lack of these skills can have implications in health and safety or productivity.
The Authority has pledged to take a radical look at the range of learning opportunities available in basic skills, and to broaden the range of provision to standard corporate training and to develop support structures to meet the diverse need of its employees.
Photograph: Sandra Morton is flanked by Rosemary Tippet-Maudsley of Learning Pembrokeshire and Jackie Owen, Employer’s Pledge Support Officer. Standing are the Council’s Head of Personnel, Francis Maull; and Huw James, the Authority’s Director of Support and Cultural Services; with Brett Kilner, Lifelong Learning Advisor; Hazel Marsh, Trade Union Learning in Partnership Co-ordinator; and Mike Murray, Quality Training Co-ordinator.
