British garden and homewares manufacturer Stewart says it is reaping the benefits of its investment in people and training.
As part of their quality improvement programme, 24 trainees at the company have now successfully completed the Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) training course and the EAL Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Business Improvement Techniques.

BIT qualification gives trainees the skills to monitor and improve production and manufacturing processes at Stewart. The trainees were assessed at the workplace, giving them hands-on experience and a recognised qualification in the manufacturing industry.

The NVQ Diploma gives a foundation to business development, areas covered including health and safety, team working and workplace organisation.

Speaking about the success of the programme, Stewart managing director Andy Burns said: "BIT training throughout Stewart is vital to the sustained success of our business. It gives our people the opportunity to translate their on-the-job experience into a meaningful contribution to our quality processes, whilst also gaining a recognised qualification.

"All of our 24 trainees have worked extremely hard and shown fantastic enthusiasm for the training programme. It confirms our view that if you invest in relevant training, people love to engage and show their true potential."