6th July 2009

baldwin training in Eastbourne is awarded Beacon status for providing outstanding training to the care sector

A private training provider in Eastbourne, baldwin training centre (btc), is celebrating the rare honour of being awarded Beacon status by the government’s Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

The accolade was formerly presented to Lynette and Andrew Baldwin, who founded btc seven years ago, in a ceremony held earlier today at The Roof Gardens in Kensington, London. Awarded to colleges, sixth forms and, less commonly, private training firms, Beacon status is a ringing endorsement of the way a provider runs their organisation of the quality of the training they offer.

Talking about award, Lynette said, “We were absolutely thrilled by the news and more than a little bit surprised, because we are still a very young company and Beacon status demands such a lot of any organisation. It’s a tribute to the hard work and commitment of everyone at btc and we’re all delighted to be recognised as a company at the forefront of provision and a match for sector’s most established providers.”

Lynette’s and btc’s success is made all the more remarkable by the fact that her experience in the sector began 30 years ago when she started working in a care home as a part-time cleaner. Thanks to the training opportunities extended to her, and her own determination, 17 years later Lynette had progressed to the position of home manager. In time she went on to do her Certificate in Education: Further Education and Training, with a view to setting up a training company that would extend the same training opportunities she had benefited from to other people.

Lynette cites her own and her staff’s extensive experience in the care sector and their ability to identify with the needs of employers and employees alike a major factor in btc’s growth and success. Today the business, which has helped well over 1,000 learners to achieve new qualifications, employs 22 members of staff and works with around 130 care homes across the south east.

btc offers courses and qualifications in every aspect of health and social care, from hands on care to allied disciplines such as team leading, management and customer services. For the last two years the business has been working with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), offering Apprenticeships in the care sector and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) through the Train to Gain Service.

Congratulating btc on being awarded Beacon status, Marinos Paphitis, regional director for LSC South East, said, “This is a tremendous achievement and one which I hope will inspire other providers to aim for the highest possible standards in employer- and learner-responsive provision. Thanks to its commitment to quality, to personal and professional development, and to an inclusive society this excellent young company has continued to grow its business despite the economic downturn.”

Moving in a new direction, and working in partnership with Sussex Action for Inclusion, btc launches a programme later this week aimed at unemployed people who would like to work in the care industry.