L-R Sue Tomlinson - Skills Adviser, Access, Steve Byrne - Managing Director, View Logistics
Carol Haqqi - Sales Office Manage, View Logistics

Growing carpet and tiling specialist View Logistics is using training to support an expansion drive which has seen the group increase turnover by 8% this year.

A skills investment programme which began with just one member of staff now has around 30 employees involved in a range of courses tailored to their roles within the business.

Managing director Steve Byrne believes this better skilled and more motivated workforce has been crucial to the recent success and plans to extend the programme to more areas of operation.

“We rely on highly motavated and skilled people to be successful in an increasingly competitive market place which is why we recruited the help of external training experts, Access based at the Gateshead Skills Academy , to give our employees that extra edge,” he said “We invest considerable resource on training which reaches across the whole spectrum of our team, encompassing business management, customer service, accounting and technicial courses. Each is tailored to meet the needs of both the individual and the organisation.”

It all began when sales manager Carol Haqqi asked for the support of Steve and the company to help complete an NVQ Level 4 business management course from which she believed the company would benefit. The skills and confidence she gained enabled her to play a lead role in the setting up of the recent acquisition of Eletile by the View Logistics Group. She said: “This was an area of the industry which was completely new to me but because of my training I was able tackle it with enthusiasm and confidence.”

Having seen the benefits training delivered, Steve decided that it should be made more widely available to other employees in the group. Sue Tomlinson, skills adviser with Access, who has co-ordinated the initiative, added: “View Logistics understands that training has to be flexible enough to meet with the individual’s needs as well as the company’s, so each person is provided with their own training plan and are assigned an experienced adviser to guide and support them through their training from day one to completion.

“Everyone has responded with enthusiasm and shown great commitment to learning new skills and I am delighted that this has helped the business to improve performance and to grow.”

Funding for the initial tranche of training was provided through an ESF co-financed programme with Access delivering the project on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council and Skillfast-UK - the sector skills council for fashion and textiles, which has been working with the Learning, and Skills Council to promote learning and development through the Future Textiles initiative. Subsequent training has been funded via Train to Gain and Apprenticeship funding streams.

Based in Hartlepool and with operations in Middlesbrough, View Logistics arranges the manufacture, supply and distribution of floor coverings throughout the UK as well as into Europe and America. Brands include Hugh Mackay, Gaskell Mackay Carpets Limited, Whitestone Weavers Limited, Carpetline Direct Limited, Premier Tufting and Eletile Limted.