The Furniture and Interiors Education, Skills and Training Alliance (FIESTA) is organising a conference on April 26 at Furniture Makers’ Hall in London to help close the industry’s skills gap.

It will appeal to anyone with responsibility for recruitment and skills development within hte kitchen industry, as well as existing training providers and educational institutions.

At the conference, FIESTA will be launching Skills Plus offering businesses a specialist apprentice recruitment service, Apprentice Training Agency, and Levy Management Company.

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Through Skills Plus, micro and SME non-levy paying employers will be able to access a wider selection of funded skills training.

Larger employers can outsource the apprenticeship management and real-time monitoring from apprentice levy digital accounts.

The conference will include an overview of the training and education landscape since the release of the Mind the Gap Report in 2015, which identified an emerging skills gap.

Delegates will also hear from companies who have  introduced successful apprenticeship programmes and will be able to have confidential one-to-one with the Skills Plus team to discuss their training requirements.

Managing director of CD(UK) and chairman of FIESTA gary Baker commented: “We are delighted to be working with the Apprentice Management Group to provide Skills Plus as a service, and look forward to showing this solution to the industry.

“If you have an ageing work force or find it challenging to recruit and retain new or existing workers, this conference is a must-attend event.

“Researching training providers that have funding for your training needs and understanding how to access funding all takes time.

“The Skills Plus solution will handle all of this and offer companies advice and guidance on the best training that is available to the sector.”

The Kitchen Education Trust (TKET) has been involved in the creation of the Level 3 Fitted Furniture Design Technician apprenticeship standards.

Director at the Apprenticeship Management Group John Henry said: “Skills Plus will enable employers in the sector to fill their skills gap and look to establish training and progression plans both now and well into the future.

“Young people entering the furniture and interiors sector and existing employers wishing to up-skill are looking for learning opportunities and career progression, which is precisely what Skills Plus will help them achieve.”