Employee Training and Development
A.F. Blakemore’s commitment to training and development was recognised in 2003 when the whole company was awarded Investors in People status. The company was also short-listed by the Express & Star in their Developing Skills and People Award.
A.F. Blakemore delivers a range of training and development solutions to meet the ever-changing needs of the corporate strategic plan and the diverse group of employees that are tasked with delivering key performance results.
The department has been given the remit of developing a proactive training system and has a key role in shaping the company’s future. Much progress has been made with almost 600 courses organised in the past year. These have ranged from legality courses such as basic health and safety, to IT training and business strategy.
The training department undertakes much of this training itself. The team is multi-skilled and can deal with anything from forklift truck courses to management core skills. The department is also an accredited NVQ centre and delivers level 2 and 3 qualifications across all business areas.
A thorough system has now been put in place across AF Blakemore & Son Ltd to identify, deliver, review and evaluate staff training.
This process begins with “front-line” workplace trainers. Key people are identified across the company to develop staff and carry out tasks such as inductions, job training, and performance reviews. Workplace trainers are an integral part of the company infrastructure and their job is seen as the first step up the supervisory ladder.
Training for both middle and senior management is also seen as a key to success. As a result a series of external and customised internal courses are introduced at every level of management to assist strategic thinking. Each course is designed to facilitate the delivery of job specific business projects that can be tested in the workplace. This has already led to improvements in profits and staff turnover.
The company recognises that it is not the amount of training but the outcome of this training that is important. This philosophy has helped create a structure whereby members of staff are hand-picked for programmes designed for their own particular needs in the workplace. Employees are informed of what is expected of them prior to training and a full evaluation takes place upon course completion.
This structure looks set to last and the foundations are in place for a very bright future indeed.