Newquay Zoo
“The training is proving a tremendous success. The staff think it’s great and the benefits to the business are huge.” Diane Eade Head of Administration and HR
- Business sector:
- Leisure
- Employees:
- 49-249
- Region:
- South West
- Company profile:
- Newquay Zoo is one of the country’s top zoos, specialising in breeding endangered species and running ground-breaking conservation programmes. The zoo is part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust family, comprising Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts, Slapton Ley and two urban nature reserves.
The Challenge
Although Newquay Zoo had always been focused on its people, it was when they were bought by Paignton Zoo, in August 2003, that they really started looking at training. Paignton had Investors in People status, so they were keen for Newquay to be equally focused on employee development. That meant making sure they were really using training to their advantage.
The Solution
Luckily for Newquay, they got to hear about the Employer Training Pilot – the scheme which has now developed into the new national Train to Gain service.
This gave them the opportunity to train and develop their staff, on site, for free. They also got to work with their training provider to develop a learning package that was completely tailored to their needs. As well as having all their training costs covered, they received wage compensation to cover the time their employees spent learning.
Seventeen of their employees have now had training through the scheme – ten in management and seven in NVQ Level 2 programmes directly related to their jobs.
The Results
The zoo is convinced of the benefits of taking part in the programme:
- Employees are more focused on their roles.
- They have learnt new skills and are therefore more motivated and committed to their jobs.
- Productivity has gone up.
