Partner Article

Benfield Motors bridges skills gap for Tik Tok

A Gateshead nursery has shifted up a gear in providing support to its 25 staff, thanks to the help of Benfield Motors. SkillsBridge, the project that helps voluntary and community sector organisations in the North East by finding expert volunteers from business, came to the aid of Tik Tok Nursery to develop a new employees’ handbook and update its health and safety policies. A not for profit local enterprise, Tik Tok Nursery didn’t have the capacity in house to complete the crucial work at the time and the intervention of SkillsBridge and Benfield proved to be invaluable.

Launched in 2011, SkillsBridge is a major programme designed to support the North East’s voluntary and community sector (VCS). The SkillsBridge team matches up experts from the private and public sectors with VCS organisations, to deliver sustainable and practical business solutions, at a time when other avenues of support and funding are dwindling. Peter Younger, group health, safety and facilities manager and Joanna Hughes, HR manager at Benfield Motors, volunteered to get involved in SkillsBridge projects and were matched up with Tik Tok Nursery.

Beverly Cook, Tik Tok Nursery manager, comments:

“We’re really grateful for the input of Benfield Motors and SkillsBridge. Being able to tap into Peter’s health and safety expertise and Joanna’s HR knowledge has made a big difference. We had to update our handbook and procedures, but in house skills and resources were big obstacles. Thanks to Peter’s and Joanna’s assistance, these essential changes have come about much sooner than planned – we have saved the nursery both time and money, while also building our own understanding of the topics. Working with Benfield ensured that the tasks were completed in a good timescale and allowed us to build links with a local company.”

Peter Younger of Benfield Motors adds:

“I was delighted to be able to assist an organisation that provides such an important service to the Gateshead community. These are challenging times for the voluntary and community sector and it’s great that I was able to help out Tik Tok Nursery in some very specific areas. As a business that is rooted in the North East, Benfield Motors is very pleased to be able to support the work of SkillsBridge in this way and as a volunteer for the programme, I look forward to getting involved in future projects.”

Andrew White, chief executive of SkillsBridge, adds:

“This project shines a spotlight on practical and valuable ways in which SkillsBridge can help voluntary organisations in the region. It also highlights the breadth and depth of expertise that we have at our disposal through our volunteers from businesses throughout the North East. Benfield Motors is a great supporter of our programme and it’s very rewarding to see the positive impact that Joanna’s and Peter’s contribution has had on the work of Tik Tok Nursery.”

Following the successful completion of the first project with Tik Tok, Peter Younger has been invited to join the nursery’s board, and is planning to offer additional assistance in the future. SkillsBridge continues to match up private sector expertise with voluntary sector needs. Backed by the support of volunteers from some of the region’s top businesses, SkillsBridge is enabling voluntary and community groups across the region to access specialist support that would otherwise be unavailable. Businesses that would like to find out more about how to get involved with SkillsBridge should contact Chris Orrick on 0191 2755059 or chris@skills-bridge.org.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by SkillsBridge .