Award pioneers keep standards shining

Award pioneers keep standards shiningKeywords: Edward Howell Galvanizers, Employee development

A UK company that made history by becoming the first in the galvanizing industry to achieve the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) standard for training informs us that it is still leading the field.

Edward Howell Galvanizers Ltd has been successfully reviewed for the third time by IiP assessors and has again proved its standards in training and development of staff are among the best in the UK.

The West Midlands-based company first achieved the standard as long ago as 1991, after teaming up with specialists from Wolverhampton Chamber and Business Link, and it has been constantly reviewing its training and development programme ever since. It now employs 90 people and has developed its own competence-based training scheme.

Edward Howell general manager, Andrew Haworth, said: "We work in a competitive local market with a mission to be the preferred choice galvanizer in the area. Training of staff is essential if we are going to maintain a competitive edge with quality of service, and IiP provides us with a good framework to ensure that we don't just train and develop in isolation, but look at the company as a whole".

Wolverhampton Chamber and Business Link IiP adviser, Graham Ratcliffe,commented: "Edward Howell is constantly looking at innovative ways to develop and improve business performance through training and new technology".