Training Matters at Blaydon Steelworks!

Staff at Corus Service Centre in Blaydon were set a challenge of formalising their skills - and all passed with flying colours!

The studious steelworkers are based on the Chainbridge Road Industrial Estate and all of the 17 shop floor workers are now proud owners of the NVQ Level 2 in Distribution, Warehousing and Storage Operations.

General manager John Roxby explains: "Despite being recognised as competent workers and valued by Corus, they didn't have any industry qualifications as such, so I wanted to back up this belief in them by offering them first class training.

"It's all part of our efforts toward developing employees' existing skills, as well as building new ones, to ensure the future success of the business."

"All 17 took up the challenge with admiral determination and even surprised themselves a bit, so I was delighted and proud that they all passed."

The NVQ qualification involved several modules, which all employees were tested on, including written tests and actually being observed during the course of their work.

It lasted five months and the modules were: Maintaining A Safe And Health Workplace; Keeping the Workplace Secure; Working Effectively And Efficiently, Stock Storage And Order Processing, plus Receiving Goods And Materials Into Storage.

This latest achievement follows a year of accident-free operation and sustained efforts from all employees to further improve health and safety levels at the Blaydon plant - for which the workers were recently rewarded by senior Corus directors.