Welsh employers and individuals urged to enter top training awards
Companies, organisations and individuals across Wales are being urged to enter the 2010 National Training Awards (NTA).
Recognised as the UK’s leading training accolade, the awards in Wales are managed by UK Skills on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government, and celebrate outstanding businesses, organisations and individuals from the public and private sector who achieve excellence in training and development.
Previous NTA winners include Llanelli-based automotive manufacturer Schaeffler UK, Newport-based EADS Defence and Security Systems and Black Horse Personal Finance’s Cardiff branch.
Previous winners report an enhanced reputation with customers following positive publicity around their success in the Awards, boosting their bottom lines.
Schaeffler won a NTA after training managers in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), which promotes self-awareness and effective communication. The introduction of NLP has improved communication between managers and their teams enabling them to be more efficient and helping the company increase output by 20%.
Adrian Roberts, Schaeffler’s HR director, said: “NLP has helped us beat the recession, continue to boost the skills and training of our staff and given us an edge over our competitors. Winning a NTA was the icing on the cake and a great morale boost for all our staff.
2010 NTA categories include: Large Employer (250+), Medium Employer (50-249); Small Employer (49 and under), Providing Education and Training, Partnership and Collaboration, Individual and Now is the Time. Introduced in 2009, ‘Now is the Time’, honours companies that have invested in skills as a direct result of the recession.
Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills, Lesley Griffiths, said: “In the current economic climate the development of skills through training is more important than ever. Companies that invest in training are investing in their business which can only bring long term benefits. Ultimately this also contributes to the creation of a strong and vibrant economy.
“The National Training Awards present a great opportunity for companies to promote the good work they are doing and I would encourage individuals, companies and organisations to send their entries in for this year’s NTAs as soon as possible.”
Closing date for entries is April 23, 2010. For more information call the NTA helpline on: tel: 0800 0191 475, email: info@nationaltrainingawards.com or visit the website: www.nationaltrainingawards.com
