Swindon based Smiths News has been presented with a prestigious National Training Award in recognition of their outstanding contribution and commitment to training, learning and development in the workplace.

Gill Doolin, Training and Organisation Development Manager, accepted the West Midlands regional award on behalf of the company at a ceremony held at Birmingham Town Hall on 21 October. Smiths News won in the Large Organisation category, for their Apprentice Scheme.

Gill said: “I’m delighted that our apprentice scheme has won an award. Not only does this acknowledge the quality of the scheme, but it also recognises the effort put in by all the apprentices and the fantastic support provided to them by their managers. The apprentices and management at our Wednesbury depot provided an excellent example of the benefits our scheme provides for both the individuals involved and the business.”

Run on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) by UK Skills, the National Training Awards inspires and encourages UK industry to invest in training and development as a route to achieving outstanding organisational and individual success. Winning an Award is recognition of best practice and provides a benchmark for standards of excellence in training in the UK.

The case study included in the Smiths News application focused on the apprentices working in our Wednesbury depot in the West Midlands – Lewis Jeffs and Zeeshan Rashid.

Lewis Jeffs said: ” Taking part in the Apprentice Scheme has been an amazing opportunity and I’ve really developed my skills in the workplace as a result. I’m so pleased I could take part and I was delighted when the scheme won such a prestigious award. It confirms that I have been on a quality training programme.”