Where Are They Now?

Clarkson Evans
National Training Award Winner 2001

The first in a new series finding out what National Training Award Winners did next.

UK Skills in conversation with Gerald Crittle, Clarkson Evans' Training Director

Why did you enter the National Training Awards?

In order to grow the company we had made a big investment in training - notably by setting up our own in-house training centre to deliver the Modern Apprenticeship Framework. This was very unusual for an organisation our size but it produced extremely good results and we wanted to see how we compared with other people.

What were the benefits of winning the Award?

Winning the National Training Award was an endorsement of the quality of our training. It helped us be taken seriously by the key stakeholders in education. We had taken a bit of a risk in moving away from the local further education college and setting up our own training operation so it was marvellous to gain recognition for what we were doing. But the Award really put us on the map in our industry and region and established our reputation. It was the start of the next stage of growth and expansion. It got us noticed and gave clients confidence in what we were doing.

In what way has your training developed since winning the award?

It has developed enormously. As well as training our own apprentices we now provide apprentice training for a further thirty organisations. In fact, whereas training started as being an investment for the company it is now a profit centre. We are entirely self-funding and, in addition to the apprenticeships, we run a wide range of short courses - for example, on new regulations and new techniques - for people from other companies. We have made a big investment in facilities and now have seven full time lecturers who also act as a research resource for the whole company. So if there is something new coming in we can research it and then can brief our people about it.

What impact has this had on the business?

We are a training led company and the results can be seen in the way the business has progressed since winning the National Training Award. Back in 1997 we had 35 employees and a turnover of £1 million. Now we have 300 employees and turnover has grown to £15 million. We feel that our way of working, based on flexibility, is what the industry needs and our people have the skills to deliver.

What challenges face the industry?

Training in the construction industry is still pretty patchy. There is more good quality training around but it is far from universal. The big challenge coming up is the London Olympics. Even though we operate primarily in the South West, South Wales and the West Midlands we can see that skilled people are going to be drawn into working in London. But it just underlines the general point that as an industry we need to be more committed to training and to train more people to the right standard.

What advice have you got to offer others?

Our experience is that as an employer you can't afford to hang back. You have to be brave enough to take ownership of the training processes and ensure that it is meeting your needs and standards. So if the current training available is not delivering what you need then be prepared to make a stand and ensure you get what you want