Driffield business benefits from free training

20th December 2013 12:25pm - Return to press releases

Staff at Rafters in Driffield have benefitted from free training through East Riding College.
Six learners have recently completed NVQ courses through the College, with four doing a retail qualification and two doing team leading.
One learner, Laura Richardson, has been with the organisation since leaving school and has worked her way up to shop manager, with responsibility for 25 staff.

Owner Andy Rafter said it has been rewarding to see her develop her skills and knowledge through experience and training.
He said: "The College has really helped Laura with her development. I found she had the necessary skills in retail and she needed to develop management skills. The training that the College provided was flexible and the units within the NVQ were tailored to suit our needs.” 

The team leading qualification was also completed by Janet Bratley, who helps run the shop’s florist department, to manage the department and its two other florists. 
Mr Rafter said: “It's been wonderful to have the support of the College. I'm very grateful to the assessors for providing the training and the funding." 

The team who completed retail NVQs work as shop assistants and developed their skills by covering modules such as health and safety, food safety and working in a team.
Mike Strickland, work-based training supervisor at the College, said: “The staff at Rafters are an excellent example of how work-based qualifications can be tailored according to the needs of the business and delivered flexibly and at no cost to the employer.
“A range of fee exemptions and funding initiatives are available to enable businesses to access training and qualifications for free, depending on their circumstances.”

For more information, call East Riding College on 0845 120 0037 and ask for the business development team or email [email protected]

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Notes to editors

For more information about this press release, call Matthew Croshaw, marketing and communications manager, on 01482 390720 or email [email protected]