One of the region’s longest established and most successful retailers is sold on training which it believes is supporting business development in an increasingly competitive market place.
T & G Allan, which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary, is taking advantage of the Train to Gain service which is being promoted as part of a government’s drive to improve the skills of the UK’s workforce.
With grants on offer to help meet costs, the company has called in Access Training to deliver pilot programmes in customer care and team leadership for 19 staff at its stores in Whitley Bay and Morpeth.
The results will determine whether the stationery and gifts retailer signs up to extend the programme to its 32 branches of The Pen Shop. This is Europe's largest chain of writing instrument stores which are spread throughout the UK and one of only two pen shop chains in the world.
Operations manager, Keith Gilfillan, commented: “I have always been an advocate of training in the workplace having headed up staff training at a major department store, so I know the benefits it can deliver.
“I think we are already beginning to see improvements in our team working and customer services and I know that our team leaders and managers are very impressed by what they have discovered. I have no doubt everyone has a better understanding of the business and their role within it.”
Malcolm Armstrong, Managing Director of Access Training added: “It’s great to see such a long established company moving with the times and developing its people to work in today’s fast changing business environment. I’m sure this has contributed to the success of the business over the years and continues to do so.
Access Training provides excellence in vocational learning, encouraging individual career development to support North East employers. Specialising in work based training it provides, in partnership with ITEC North East and Gateshead College, the only Centre of Vocational Excellence for Business and Management in the region. It has helped over 4,000 young people into employment.
Train to Gain is a service jointly funded in the North East by the LSC and One NorthEast and is designed to help businesses get the training they need to succeed. The cornerstone of Train to Gain is a skills brokerage service which includes free impartial advice and help in finding the best training to meet business needs and improve skills.
The service offers impartial advice and matches training needs to local learning providers, to ensure that flexible, responsive training programmes are delivered to meet employers’ needs. A core element of Train to Gain is the access to appropriate funding of Skills for Life, first Level 2 NVQs, Level 3 NVQs and Management and Leadership learning opportunities.
