Local Waitrose branches win top employment award

Friday 23 January 2015

Waitrose Jersey has been recognised for its training and development by the Skills Development Awards.

The awards, organised by Skills Jersey, took place on Friday 16 January at Fort Regent and were created to celebrate and honour local companies’ dedication to developing and maintaining the skills of their employees.

The ceremony saw Waitrose, among other companies, presented with the award’s top accolade, the Platinum Award. This demonstrated a commitment to training and development for its workforce, offering work experience to young people and adults on a regular basis through various local initiatives and placements as well as continuing to offer work experience or employment to people with special needs.

Duncan Langston, branch manager at Waitrose St Saviour, said: “Learning is at the heart of our business and it is fundamental that our Partners have the knowledge and opportunity to develop themselves throughout their working lives. We take pride in the continual development we offer our Partners and the programmes we offer in branches which are not only recognised within the business but also by the City & Guilds awarding body.”

Waitrose is committed to providing the highest levels of customer service to its shoppers, and gives its Partners (as all employees are known) the opportunity to further their personal development and the service they provide through a range of training programmes and courses.

In addition, the co-owned structure of the business produces high levels of customer service and Partners have a vested interest in ensuring shoppers have the best possible experience in branch - because they will take a share of the profits that would normally go to shareholders.

This is the second time the awards have taken place celebrating organisations of all sizes, sectors and industries. Companies are awarded platinum, gold, silver and bronze awards depending on their ability to meet the criteria set by Skills Jersey.