engage magazine issue 001 spring \\\'06 | Page 49

Interview suspects
TRAINING 49

Interview suspects

Where do you think the

Q key problem lies?

Big providers have been

A able to grow in the main because they have been given large government contracts, you get this cycle where the funding bodies will only fund

Are there any ways

Q in which you and government funding bodies can attempt to deal with this issue?

I think that one solution

A is to look beyond the usual suspects( those in the

What effect does this

Q have on you and other Black, Asian and minority ethnic training providers?

AOne of the end results is that the situation disadvantages Black, Asian and minority ethnic businesses

What benefits would more

Q funding give you?

With more funding we

A could employ people from the local area; that’ s what frustrates me the most, because there is real potential out there.

you if you demonstrate that you have a track record of delivering funded training. But you don’ t get a track record
training industry know who they are) and have a diverse supply chain. They can only do that by working positively with
because we’ re more likely to be SMEs. If One Spare Chair, with its quality systems, track record and reputation for
What do you think will

Q be the future relationship between small training

if you’ re always delivering on
smaller organisations. It ought
excellence cannot win
providers and government
behalf of somebody else. What
to be possible to allow groups
government contracts, I
funding bodies?
happens now is that we do the delivery well and the big training provider claims all the credit( and the future funding).
of small training providers to band together and bid for the funding.
wonder what it is like for others who are trying to grow.
It does make me wonder

A because the assumption is that if you’ re small it must

mean that you won’ t last. In
fact it means that you’ re
flexible, you’ re responsive,
and that you can offer people
a very individual programme of
... the situation disadvantages Black, Asian and minority ethnic businesses because we’ re more likely to be SMEs.
learning. So, in my view, small does not necessarily mean not good enough, and hopefully the future relationship will be one where this is recognised and acknowledged.
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