EDP Training is an award-winning training provider based in Bristol, delivering mental health, wellbeing, and anti-racism courses across England, both in person and virtually. Their flagship ‘Race Ahead’ course, designed specifically with businesses in mind is growing in popularity and they are looking to expand their workforce with new trainers and other staff in the near future.
We spoke with Bianca Jones, Founder and Director of EDP Training about the support she has gained from the Workforce for the Future Programme, working with advisors Eithne Venney and Julia Gurr on Workforce Development Planning and HR Support.
Bianca first heard about the Workforce for the Future programme through the NatWest Accelerator Hub, which is designed for entrepreneurs with high-growth businesses who are looking to scale up.
After some challenging experiences with employees, Bianca was keen to get guidance on how to improve EDP Training’s recruitment methods.
“In hindsight, with previous recruitment, I was not communicating clearly enough what I wanted or needed, I had made a few mistakes and I wanted to get future recruitment right.
“Julia and Eithne provided me with advice around contracts and interviews. For example, we implemented some capability-based questions and assessments. I created a priority task assessment and let them rank the tasks from number one to eight in order of importance.
“I also completed a really useful exercise with Julia that looked at my company as a whole, including what I do now and what staff I need immediately, but also what future skills I will need to help me grow and be where I want to be.
“Even though I am recruiting for my current business situation, in two years' time, for example. I would like to apply for grants and other funding available. Therefore, we made sure to put those skills in the desirable section of the job description I created, which is something I wouldn’t have thought about before
“Then, I thought I needed a salesperson. However, when I sat down with Julia, I discovered what I really needed was an Admin/PA and someone to do marketing.
“I do not need someone to hold my hand. I just needed someone to support me and send me things to read and help me in that way. For example, I am currently pulling together an induction plan from the information Eithne and Julia have sent over to me for my new starter who has come from this recent round of recruitment.
“I just think as a one-person business (although I have subcontractors), it was nice to have that place to ask a question and to know that you have that support there in the background because it can be really lonely and anxiety-inducing sometimes. So actually, to know that they were there was really helpful in itself.”
Bianca also wanted to talk about Race Ahead, an innovative, comprehensive, and interactive anti-racism course organised by EDP Training. Bianca started Race Ahead so there could be a safe space for people to ask tough questions about racism.
"I have been running Race Ahead for the last five years, but since the rise of Black Lives Matter movement and the murder of George Floyd, businesses are now telling me: ‘Bianca, you know, that stuff that you have been talking about for five years, we need it now.’
“It allowed me to bring racism to the forefront of my business with the mental health work as well. Due to my own experience of depression, I have personally experienced the disparities within our mental health system in England and how Black and Brown people are left at the bottom of every institution in the country.
“I designed Race Ahead because we spend a lot of time in the workplace. It seemed like a great place to target to start to get that ripple effect.”
Find out more about how Business West can help you with your skills needs. You can book a 1-2-1 meeting with our experienced team of Business Skills Advisors at a time and date that fits your busy schedule.
Find out more about EDP Training and the Race Ahead programme.
Business West is delivering Workforce for the Future in collaboration with other partners and the West of England Combined Authority.
For more information on Workforce for the Future, please visit the West of England Growth Hub. The Growth Hub is the West of England Combined Authority’s dedicated business support service which offers free, one-to-one advice and guidance for SMEs.
The West of England Workforce for the Future programme has received £4m of funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England. The Department for Work and Pensions (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for the England European Social Fund programme. Established by the European Union, the European Social Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support skills development, employment and job creation, social inclusion and local community regenerations. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.
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