Best training/people development award

Winner

This year London and Quadrant is finalising a competency-based framework that will allow staff to be recruited and appraised against the competencies needed. The registered social landlord has also introduced new staff benefits, and is approved by the government as an “age-positive” employer. These are only the latest moves in an approach that has earned London & Quadrant two rankings in the Sunday Times listing of the 100 best companies to work for. The judges said: “They have a diverse and well-established set of strategies, running across all their disciplines.”

Finalists

Over the past year Bowey Homes has introduced training matrices for all job types in order to identify training needs, and re-appraised core job skills to align them with its growing workforce. The company has also revamped its personal development programme. These initiatives meant that the company invested more than ever before in training, and was better able to assess its benefits.

Countryside Properties

The housebuilder also has two successive years of recognition by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best companies to work for, evidence of its comprehensive approach to developing its people. That was recognised by the judges: “They take a responsible approach and have a well-established strategy. We particularly like the focused investment into their apprenticeship scheme and their training academy.”

Keegans Group

As a consultant working in housing refurbishment and regeneration Keegans has put a lot of effort into increasing employment opportunities for people living locally to its projects. Among local skills initiatives, it has worked with a training company in the London Borough of Haringey to facilitate E2E (entry to employment) training, which gives work experience to 16-24 year olds.

Redrow Homes

A new national training centre in Tamworth is raising the profile of training at Redrow. The company has invested £500,000 in the centre and it is staffed by professional trainers from both within and outside Redrow. The company has filled more than 2600 training places at the centre since it opened last September, an average of two training events for every employee.

Wates Group

Wates put a new training strategy in place four years ago and is now reaping the benefits in reduced accidents on site, greater employee satisfaction, improved staff retention and efficiency, and an increase in turnover. The company’s approach extends from management through to local apprenticeships, and Wates has worked with partners on the introduction of an NVQ in maintenance at a college in Wigan.

Willmott Dixon

An in-house four-stage management development programme is bringing talent up through the company at Willmott Dixon. So successful is the programme that all the staff taking up senior positions in a new management delivery structure introduced in the company last year were graduates of the programme.