22 September 2008

In-house train to gain opportunities

Employees working in the city are brushing up on their skills, thanks to free training opportunities.

Twenty cleaners working in the Hillfields’ tower blocks and the Chace Centre have gained an NVQ in Cleaning Science thanks to their employer, Whitefriars Housing Group. A number of those who picked up their NVQ Level One are now moving on to study for their Level Two qualification.

The aim of the training is to boost employee’s confidence and further improve the service offered to residents. Satisfaction levels with the cleaning provided across the city has risen by more than 20 per cent in the last two years. Currently satisfaction with cleaning services in Hillfields, where a number of the qualified staff are based, has risen to 84 per cent.

Under another training initiative, 24 members of Whitefriars’ response team, which provides security and patrols across the city, have completed their NVQ Level 2 in Providing Security Services and a BTEC Level 2 in Security Operations.

Seventeen additional employees were awarded a Business Administration NVQ, Level Two.

These qualifications have been offered thanks to funding from Whitefriars, and also via grants gained as part of the Government’s Train to Gain initiative.

Sam Flint, a domestic support assistant at the Chace, said: “I think an NVQ will get you further up the ladder if you want to do a supervisor’s job. I think having an NVQ will be a benefit to me.”

Simon Wright, head of human resources at Whitefriars, said: “We are committed to investing in our people, and our services. By offering training opportunities we can help improve skills, motivation and confidence in our colleagues which in turn impacts on the service customers receive from us. It is fantastic that this investment is already influencing the quality of the service.

“We launched this training after customer feedback on services, and also after listening to our staff and what they felt would benefit their career prospects and ability to do their job. It was a pleasure to organise an awards event to celebrate their successes, and hand out so many awards, and we look forward to recognising future qualifications in the coming months.”

National research shows that 1.3 million people go to work every day without theskills they require to do their job proficiently.

For further information please contact Michelle Hallmark at The Bridge Group on 024 7656 0448 or m.hallmark@bridge-group.co.uk