GDM Cooler Manufacturing Ltd supply oil coolers, intercoolers, air blast coolers and specialist radiators to a diverse range of markets. The company is based in Rugeley, Staffordshire and employs around 20 people.

The company already has a strong track record of training their employees through apprenticeships and other qualifications and were pleased to find out about Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) - a programme developed to upskill employees within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SSW provides recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses to enhance employees’ skills, increase the competitiveness of businesses and boost local economies. Serco delivers SSW through a network of expert training providers, like Performance Through People (PTP) Training, on behalf of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). SSW is co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

PTP Training carried out a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) with GDM Cooler Manufacturing Ltd to identify training and development needs of employees at various levels within the organisation. The TNA highlighted that training in leadership and business skills could be beneficial, as well as quality training to update knowledge. Courses were discussed at great length to identify the best possible support.

The outcome of the TNA resulted in PTP Training delivering the following sessions:

• Communication skills– 1 employee
• Writing for business– 1 employee
• Intermediate Excel– 1 employee
• Dealing with difficult situations– 1 employee
• Internal / external quality auditing – 3 employees
• Safe working practices – 1 employee
• Fire marshal – 2 employees
• Safety management – 1 employee
• Telephone techniques – 1 employee

Tony Raybould at PTP Training, said:

“GDM Cooler Manufacturing Ltd have good quality processes in place and always look to provide the best possible service to their customers. The company always looks to move forwards and respond to customer requirements. They have a positive attitude towards training and development of their staff.”

Darren Clark, General Manager at GDM Cooler Manufacturing Ltd, commented about SSW:

“It has been a great initiative, allowing us to promote more training across the board, which serves to motivate our staff and increase their skills base without financial risk to the business. It can be very demotivating when a staff member asks me for training support which I am unable to offer due to budget constraints. This funding has helped me to support their ambition.”

Several members of the team have taken on additional responsibilities as a result of the training, including a supervisory role. One delegate who completed an IT course is now able to produce data and documents which benefit the business.

To find out about accessing fully funded training for your business through the Skills Support for the Workforce programme, businesses can contact us skillssupport@serco.com.