Bottled water firm Deeside Water Company is tapping into a
recently set up training fund to improve its productivity.
The Ballater-based company has signed up for Skills Development
Scotland's innovative Flexible Training Opportunities scheme to
help update the skills of its fork lift truck drivers - a key asset
within the business.
Now Deeside Water is already noting a marked improvement in
productivity and efficiency at its Aberdeenshire factory.
George Simpson, Deeside Water Company director, said: "The
Flexible Training Opportunities programme has given our employees a
boost and this has already paid dividends for the whole company. By
updating the training of our fork lift truck drivers, we now have a
front line workforce with a much broader skills set and a higher
level of confidence.
"Employees are now comfortable taking on higher levels of
responsibility. As a business priding itself on quality, we
appreciate the importance of investing in staff and continuous
improvement. But the availability of funding from SDS provided us
with the incentive to apply and get started. It has been a win-win
situation for the company."
Flexible Training Opportunities gives businesses with under 50
employees the opportunity to apply for up to £5,000 towards
employee training costs.
Launched by SDS earlier this year and supported by the European
Social Fund, the programme aims to help small businesses become
more resilient and to boost productivity and success.
Funding is available for up to 10 employees per business and the
money is not a loan so there's no need to pay it back. SDS will
refund up to 50% of each episode of employee training up to a
maximum of £500 per employee.
To ensure they reap maximum benefits from the scheme, the
initiative allows businesses to design training programmes to suit
their own needs. By tailoring the training, companies can encourage
staff to reach their full potential. The application hotline is
0800 7836000.
Courses include industry recognised qualifications, workshops
and masterclasses.