H Westons & Sons have just won the National Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence in People Development, a national recognition for Westons commitment to supporting and developing their workforce.

Westons were praised by judges for the introduction of the Westons Academy to help develop its staff, recognising the need to develop its workforce to ensure it has the skills to take the business forward.

John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Westons stood out from the rest of the field in this category for its belief that to achieve its objectives for growth, it needs to invest in and develop its own staff.

“That’s a shrewd decision and the company has visibly demonstrated the impact that nurturing a workforce can have on the bottom line through its Academy, which is a clear asset to the business.”

Since the introduction of the Academy three years ago, each department has Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) linked to the business’ objectives, which are tracked on a sometimes daily basis.

Through the Academy, the firm’s 180-strong workforce can benefit from one-to-one coaching, skills training, management training and the ability to train for national qualifications.

Feedback from staff has shown that 98 per cent agree/agree strongly that they are proud to work there, 88 per cent say they have opportunities to develop and 98 per cent say they can openly communicate with their boss.