This year the National Training Awards recognised a great range of development, from Europe’s most productive car plant to a family run bakery that invented the Bakewell Tart.
Charles Clarke MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, said "I congratulate this year's Award winners. They have all demonstrated just how quality education and training can make the difference, turning round businesses and opening doors for individuals. If the UK is to enjoy a strong economy and prosperity for all, then theirs is the example everyone should aim to follow. Developing skills means investing in all our futures... We are determined to push forward our programme for workforce development and improve the responsiveness of our learning providers on the supply side. We will be putting in place a new framework to achieve this when we announce our skills strategy in the summer."
Sunderland based carmaker Nissan was given a Special Award for its programme which trained 1,000 additional staff for the production of new models; the training represented a £4.24 million investment. Family run Jacksons Bakers of Distinction, the company responsible for the original Bakewell Tart, were awarded a Special Award for using modern training methods to preserve traditional recipes and skills that could have been lost forever.
The awards also recognise the public sector. Eleanor Meldrum, Head of Nursing at Leicester General Hospital, was recognised for her intensive training course that means patients requiring regular dialysis do not have to travel miles for treatment. As a result of her training scheme a new Renal Department has been opened in Lincoln and a satellite ward in Loughborough. Woodlands School from Basildon was recognised for its commitment to excellent teaching practices and training, which enables its teachers to tackle the demands of the 1,500 pupils who attend the school.
Over sixty per cent of this year’s finalists for the coveted National Training Awards are recognised as Investors in People. Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive of Investors in People UK, said: "The National Training Awards are widely recognised as the most prestigious in the training world - and the fact that so many entrants are Investors in People is telling. It highlights the key role Investors in People plays at the forefront of the drive to improve skills and productivity in the UK."
Linda Ammon, Chief Executive of UK Skills, the organisation that promotes skills developments and manages the National Training Awards added: “As the number of entries for the National Training Awards rises, the percentage of Investors in People rises too. The sheer variety of the organisations recognised here shows how Investors in People can help initiate a creative and innovative approaches to people development - irrespective of size or sector."
