"We are fully committed to developing our people's skills in order to achieve our wider business aims and objectives. We have used the Investors in People planning process to address our needs and have now implemented a training and development programme. We will consistently evaluate this to ensure our workforce has the most up to date skills so that we can continue to build upon our success," commented Suzannah Hawkins, business development manager for Leisuretec Distribution.
Ruth Spellman, chief executive of Investors in People UK comments: " Putting people development at the heart of every function is the most cost effective decision a business can make. Employees are central to business success so it is vital for staff to be skilled, flexible and motivated; this can be achieved through planned and consistent training and development. The investors in People Framework ensures that if you look after your staff the inputs and outputs will look after themselves."
Nick Spalding, managing director for Leisuretec Distribution went on to add: "Receiving the standard confirms my belief that our company employs, trains and develops great people and this makes our company a fantastic company to be associated with, and an excellent company to work within. It is very pleasing when an independent organization agrees with something you believe to be true."
The Standard is based on four key principles for people development: commitment to develop employees to achieve business goals and targets; planning to review training and development needs required in the context of the business; action to assure relevant steps are taken to meet training and development needs; and evaluation to measure the outcomes of training and development for individuals and the organization.
Research conducted among recognized Investor in People organizations has shown that 80% have increased levels of customer satisfaction and 70% have improved their competitive edge and productivity. (Source: Building Capability for the 21st Century. CREATE 1999).
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
