Accreditation stands as a mark of quality for the training businesses have already put in place. But what benefits does this mark of quality really bring? By Sharon Saxton, City & Guilds, Group Board Director HRD.
As well as being an investment for the organisation itself, and its employees, accreditation is also viewed as a prerequisite to success. As companies grow, often diversifying into sub-groups and departments in the process, first-class training becomes vital in ensuring an organisation’s consistency towards working standards and practices. Accredited training also boosts staff retention by satisfying employee ambitions and goals. Of course, various types of accredited training bring about key sector-specific benefits, but it is also possible to distinguish some more general advantages. Adding accreditation to in-house training benefits the overall image and efficiency of an organisation.
Favourable company image
Regulation instils trust. From an investment perspective, the government and general public are more inclined to capitalise on, associate with and strive to work for accredited companies with a proven reputation of reliability and efficiency. By providing world class training, and accrediting the quality of this training, organisations are demonstrating a commitment to raising standards. Eighty of City & Guilds Kineo accreditation clients admit to having a key advantage over external competition for their core customers. This return on investment in training is a huge advantage. Businesses are able to actively attract new clients through the benefits of reducing associated risks of working with non-accredited organisations. Accreditation gives companies that ‘edge’, retaining the best people in their respective industries.
Efficiency and cost reduction
The success of a business, from SME’s right through to multinational companies, relies heavily upon employees’ effectiveness and consistency. Offering reliable accredited training across an organisation instils loyalty in employees and confidence in those who come into contact with the business. Additionally, offering this training in-house reduces costs associated with travel time and being out of the office, thus improving efficiency. In a recent case study, Ben Wesley, Quality Assurance Manager for George Supplier Academy reported a noticeable efficiency increase once their Assured Quality Level (AQL) training became accredited: “Since the introduction of the AQL Inspection Accreditation training we have seen an 8 percent decrease in our Defective Returns Rate.” One of George’s suppliers reported that the AQL Academy course supported them to conduct self-inspections of all their shipments, saving them the time and cost which they spent on third party inspections.
City & Guilds Kineo has been successfully developing organisations across the UK for eight years via its accreditation scheme. Recently, City & Guilds Kineo worked with the UK’s leading provider of integrated property services, Countrywide. Feedback from Countrywide candidates highlighted that 86 percent strongly believe that [City & Guilds] qualifications add value to their roles, and help the organisation stand out from competition. Accreditation parameters are generally set on an industry-specific, case-by-case basis. Starting with an initial company audit, methods are then deployed across the organisation that aligns with the industry and company requirements. Annual reviews ensure quality standards of the business remain high.
Whilst various industries across the globe develop and grow, accreditation is becoming increasingly important to employees and external partners, as well as beneficiaries. Accreditation is of huge importance to organisation navigating legalities in the workplace. Businesses that are accredited are actively investing in knowledge, rather than trying to navigate the complex realm of continually evolving skills development alone. A City & Guilds accreditation is widely acknowledged as a bold mark of quality for training. Accreditation is valued across a wide span of industries – from private to public sector and ranges in form, from work-schemes to e-learning modules and specially blended programmes.
