British American Tobacco Commitment to Training and Education Award finalists

And the winner of the South Coast Business Award’s Commitment to Training and Education will be the firm that goes the extra mile to make sure it achieves this.

A well-trained and educated workforce is key to the present and future of any enterprise.

The judges are looking for companies that demonstrate how its investment has brought success through improved performance as well as fostering a committed, motivated and effective workforce.

It is sponsored by British American Tobacco (BAT) which has been part of Southampton’s business community for almost 100 years and employs 1,100 staff in Millbrook as part of a 60,000 global workforce.

After ending commercial manufacturing in Southampton in 2006, BAT’s operation in the city now provides a strategic research and development centre along with a wide range of office functions.

Last year’s winners were First Wessex Housing Association.

Judges were wowed by the training package offered to staff.

Alex Osborne, Senior Communications Manager at British American Tobacco, said: “The quality of entries for our category has been excellent again this year, and I’m really looking forward to meeting our short-listed companies.

“It's so encouraging to see such great examples of investment in development and training, and how businesses in the south coast recognise the value that it adds for future growth.”

problems in their areas.

IT is the asset that all good firms have at their core.

And the winner of the South Coast Business Award’s Commitment to Training and Education will be the firm that goes the extra mile to make sure it achieves this.

A well-trained and educated workforce is key to the present and future of any enterprise.

The judges are looking for companies that demonstrate how its investment has brought success through improved performance as well as fostering a committed, motivated and effective workforce.

It is sponsored by British American Tobacco (BAT) which has been part of Southampton’s business community for almost 100 years and employs 1,100 staff in Millbrook as part of a 60,000 global workforce.

After ending commercial manufacturing in Southampton in 2006, BAT’s operation in the city now provides a strategic research and development centre along with a wide range of office functions.

Last year’s winners were First Wessex Housing Association.

Judges were wowed by the training package offered to staff.

Alex Osborne, Senior Communications Manager at British American Tobacco, said: “The quality of entries for our category has been excellent again this year, and I’m really looking forward to meeting our short-listed companies.

“It's so encouraging to see such great examples of investment in development and training, and how businesses in the south coast recognise the value that it adds for future growth.”

SELEX ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

BASED in Millbrook Industrial Estate, Selex Electronic Systems, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Finmeccanica Group.

It is a leading company in the defence electronic market, chiefly in the making and development of infra-red detectors for both civil and military applications.

Last year the firm invested more than £34,000 in training 22 staff to NVQ level 2 in a bid to boost manufacturing efficiency.

To do this the firm engaged with Southampton Engineering Training Association. Four employees also went on to achieve NVQ level 3 and another 51 were trained to Yellow Belt Six sigma standard.

The training investment has raised awareness of efficiency, as well as successfully introducing selfmanaged teams that are better tooled to solve problems in their areas.

POWERTECNIQUE LTD

POWERTECNIQUE is a Hampshire-based manufacturer of UPS and diesel generators.

Founded in 1991, it has grown to become one of the UK’s leading independent manufacturers of critical power equipment and says it operates with an unwavering commitment to quality and service.

Its customers include all organisations that simply can’t risk any power outage or require ‘clean’ power to protect IT and data centre applications.

The aim is to be its customers’ partner of choice through bringing innovations to market, exceeding the client’s expectations and implementing collaborative working.

Powertecnique says it achieves this aim through growing its skills as specialists in the design, installation and on-going maintenance of backup power systems, so that it is better able to offer customised backup power supply systems to all businesses based around its needs.

LUCKETTS TRAVEL

LUCKETTS Travel is one of the leading coach operators in the South of England.

They are a family-run business, with more than 80 years’ experience within the industry and pride themselves on providing luxury coach travel and exceptional customer service, which not only combines comfort, flexibility and a truly personal service but also offers great value for money.

The company is a member of the Guild of British Coach Operators and holder of the Confederation of Passenger Transport’s Coach Marque, with an excellent reputation for providing quality coach hire and executive business travel for thousands of satisfied customers, who return year after year.

PEER 1 HOSTING

PEER 1 Hosting is one of the world’s leading hosting providers, offering an alternative to the widespread frustration of underperforming technology and poor service, delivering the power of the internet to any organisation that needs it.

Its hosting, colocation, cloud hosting and network services provide solutions for all types and sizes of businesses, and has been recognised as best of breed with a slew of awards.

The firms says it the leads the way because of its commitment to attracting, retaining, and nurturing the best and brightest talent across the UK and beyond.

Its Southampton headquarters are designed to create an inspiring workplace so that its customers receive the best service.

It invests heavily in training and education so that its staff can develop both professionally and personally.