How CTM is connecting employers and training providers

It has been just over a year since the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, a year which has seen all of our lives change in unrecognisable ways. However, a semblance of normality is on the horizon, with the intense vaccine rollout in operation, providing some optimism for a better future.

The education sector has seen notable shake up from this pandemic, with colleges and training providers alike having to rapidly pivot and adapt to digitised learning, with online classes and zoom calls. However, through this adaptation, the resolve of the industry was tested and affirmed and with the fight against the pandemic changing tides, colleges and campuses may soon begin to transition back to in-person teaching and learning.

This all means that as we return to normal and sectors of the economy start to recover, there will be a demand from many training providers to step up engagement with employers to help them collaboratively meet the skills needs of their workforce.

The education sector will play a critical role in helping key sectors of the economy to recover. As industries look to put themselves back on the path to growth, retraining and upskilling will provide a fresh boost to productivity. This means now more than ever, effective collaboration between training providers and employers will be essential to improve production, create opportunity and help key sectors of the economy to come back stronger.

But even when the demand for training rises, many persistent issues will remain. There are issues around time and resource constraints for training providers, around being able to quickly identify employers with skills needs and match those needs to course offerings.

This is where CTM comes in.

Collab Group has been working in partnership with Competency Training Marketplace^TM (CTM): a unique platform developed by the international technology company Sopra Steria, a European leader in consulting, digital services and software development. We believe that CTM provides a great mechanism to help achieve a higher-skilled and more productive workforce. Crucially for colleges and training providers, it provides a mechanism to simplify the employer engagement process, identify new opportunities and help expand training programmes.

CTM is the first platform to combine competency management and an online marketplace in one seamless platform. CTM also lets users respond to customer requirements and optimise sales.

To deal with the demand for new and specialised skills, CTM can connect employers to specialist training providers. To manage the complexity surrounding accreditation compliance, CTM offers a single intuitive portal for employers to manage all their worker accreditations in one place. Moreover, to prevent skills gaps and mismatches, CTM can simplify the training procurement process through a single holistic, integrated solution to managing talent accreditation and competency across the board. 

We are excited about the role that technology can play to link training providers and employers together to boost competencies and productivity across the UK workforce.

Andy Willets, Sopra Steria