PD Ports is investing in the future development of its staff by offering management training opportunities to aspirational workers from across all levels of the business.
The North-east ports and logistics business is working with Stockton Riverside College, to deliver the training to 45 staff members, including dock workers, team leaders and service managers.
Russ McCallion, PD Ports’ Group HR Director said: “At PD Ports, we feel that providing employees with the opportunity to take part in further education is key to the growth of our business. Personal development is something we are fully committed to and further drives our agenda as an employer of choice in the region.”
Stockton Riverside College has developed a three-tier management training programme to meet the specific needs of the business, which operates from many key ports and logistics centres across the UK.
The programme will see 15 staff members undertake a Level 2 Chartered Management Institute (CMI) certificate in Team Leading, 15 will work towards a Level 3 CMI certificate in First-line Management and a further 15 will complete a Level 5 CMI diploma in Management and Leadership.
Stockton Riverside College’s Business Programme Area Leader, Garry Fox, said: “We have created a bespoke delivery programme, offering three different levels of training, on a three-week cycle-basis, to suit the learning requirements of the staff members and also to fit around the demands of the working business.”
Undertaking the certificate in Team Leading, General Operative Andrew Smith, 47, of Loftus, who works in the container terminal at Teesport, said: “It is fantastic that PD Ports is giving people in the workforce the chance to train and improve themselves within the company.”
General Operative, Graham Ableson, 47, of Middlesbrough, who works on rail infrastructure, added: “It shows that the company values its employees, giving us the opportunity to go up the ladder.”
Stockton Riverside College’s Head of Department, Construction, Engineering and Business, Michael Duffey said: “This programme is a perfect example of how the college can work with employers in a way that meets their needs.
“To have a highly educated and dynamic workforce is beneficial both to companies and the wider area, and we are confident that colleges and businesses can work effectively together to achieve that.”
