Associates

Building

The National Skills Academy Process Industries has been developed to present employers with a streamlined approach to skills training. We aim to develop a strong network of Training Providers, Consultants and Analysts to deliver the training and skills needs expressed by industry employers.

The concept of an Associate Consultant is an important one for the further development and sustainability of the Academy. We are a small organisation with big plans to produce products and services that are cutting edge. We also intend to position the Academy at the centre of the skills agenda for the Process Industries.

What is an Associate?

An Associate Consultant is an individual (or possibly a partnership of individuals or private limited company) providing essential services to the Academy which are not available internally. Through the registration of specialist knowledge and areas of expertise the Academy will create a pool of potential Associate Consultants called upon for support on a needs basis.

Associate Consultants will offer one or more specialist skills such as:

  • Accreditation
  • e-Learning development
  • Events development/management
  • Programme development
  • Project management
  • Capital projects
  • Business Improvement
  • Process Industry related programmes

Associates will work on a self employed basis as opposed to fixed-term contract work. This will help ensure costs are properly budgeted and allocated against specific projects.

Benefits

We expect Academy Associate Consultants will apply to join the Network because of the potential it offers for additional work but we believe that the concept offers a good deal more besides – for example:

  • “Preferred Supplier” status, ie. if an Associate Consultant has the skills and knowledge to undertake a particular piece of work no attempt will be made to look elsewhere for a supplier UNLESS the conditions of the funding contract compel us to tender
  • Wider publicity and shared network contacts within an evolving, process industries recognised, brand
  • Access to a national marketplace – with the future possibility to reach beyond!
  • Membership to a dynamic, co-ordinated network of individual specialists
  • Receiving recommendations from the Academy to our customers
  • Sharing project activity that might be too large for individual consultants
  • Regular CPD updates and an annual Associates conference