Actimax, based at Basildon in Essex, has recently won an array of awards for its quality service to customers but this time it has been rewarded for how it trains and motivates its staff. It won the Small Company Award at the first learndirect Regional Achievement in Learning (REAL) Awards. Actimax Director Sharon Massey was presented with the East of England Development Agency-sponsored award by Fame Academy singing coach David Grant.
The judging panel was impressed by Actimax’s determination to ensure all staff had access to training opportunities. Each year the company allocates a £50,000 budget to ensure all staff get the appropriate training to develop their skills and expand on their capabilities.
Ms Massey cites a case in which a member of staff was re-energised by the offer of training for another role within Actimax. She said: “One of our receptionists was becoming disillusioned with the limitations of her job. We didn’t want to lose her experience and skills, so we encouraged her to up-skill and gave her the opportunity to do some training with learndirect.
“She really rose to the challenge, and now she’s in charge of managing the websites for the company and is much happier in her role.
“We strongly believe that by investing in employees’ training and personal development, we’re investing in the company. It helps us retain and motivate staff, and gets the best out of the people who work at Actimax.”
Actimax staff are all encouraged to undertake learndirect courses in spreadsheets, word processing and databases to a nationally recognised qualification. Ms Massey added: “The idea is that our employees get to add to their CV and we get the benefit of their improved IT expertise and efficiency.”
Rachel Dunn, Project Manager at the Basildon Foyer Bisi Centre, the learndirect centre where Actimax staff undertake their training, said: “Actimax fully understands that employees require ongoing training and development to maintain their enthusiasm, motivation and performance. The results speak for themselves.”
Hilary Clifford, Head of Ufi East, added: “For small or medium-sized businesses, the expense and time involved in training can make it extremely difficult to fit in. Actimax is a great example of a business showing enthusiasm and commitment.”
Organised by Ufi, the company behind learndirect, the REAL Awards are designed to celebrate the achievements of learners, employers and learndirect learning centres across the East of England.