Coleg Cambria launches new wellbeing academy for industry partners

COLEG CAMBRIA has launched a new health, safety and #wellbeing academy to support industry partners across North Wales.

More than 80 people attended an event at Cambria Business School in Northop, including representatives from leading companies such as Qioptiq, Networld Sports and Magellan Aerospace.

Supported by RCS Wales – a Rhyl-based organisation combining health and employment support services – the seminar explored mental health issues, management responsibilities and how long-term conditions and sickness can impact upon future growth.

With mental ill health costing UK employers more than £42bn a year, the message to company owners and HR managers was clear – healthy employees are more productive, and a flourishing and happy workforce can help build a successful business.

Lesley Rasmussen, Deputy Director of Cambria Business School, said: “It’s vital our employers have access to resources and information to help them support their workforces.

“The academy has been well-received because the demand was there, we have heard it from many of the companies we work with on a regular basis.

“The health and wellbeing of their staff is crucial and creating a culture that encourages support and openness can only be positive. 

“Millions of workers feel undervalued, they are unhappy in their work, looking for other jobs and are unproductive. Re-recruitment costs are huge, so a situation like that is bad for business, and more importantly, bad for the mental health and wellbeing of their employees.”

She added: “We will be holding events and workshops across the year and of course we have myriad professional qualifications including the NEBOSH Health and Wellbeing, IOSH Health and Wellbeing as well as bespoke provision that can be tailored to meet employer needs, and other relevant subjects if people want to find out more.”

Gareth Siggee, an Enterprise, Engagement and Training Officer at RCS Wales – which is funded through Welsh Government and WEFO (Welsh European Funding Office) to deliver workshops on health and wellbeing to SMEs – said collaborating with Coleg Cambria would give them a platform to reach even more people in North Wales. 

“It was really good to see such an engaging audience and such a high volume of people turning out,” he said.

“Cambria is connected to a lot of businesses so we discussed how it would be good to put an event on for them and perhaps make it a regular thing, to get people thinking about wellbeing in the workplace and communicate those key messages.

“At RCS we look at the mental and physical side but are also there for people with financial difficulties; we have support networks to help people access services and funding, so the partnership with Cambria Business School is going to be pivotal moving forward.

“We can find out what people want, what works for them and how we can deliver it.”

He added: “All of this helps people stay in their jobs and improves their wellbeing while also reducing the number of sickness hours, staff turnover and other problems they face.

“This is a new opportunity to show we can work together and bring people in from different sectors, there is a demand there as so many people in North Wales are affected.”