Quantum Clothing - Dressing for success

As a clothing manufacturer with over 5,000 employees globally, Quantum Clothing Group knows how important loyal and motivated staff are to the successful and smooth running of its business. The company has taken on this commitment to staff development by putting in place a training programme for its UK warehouse employees.

Quantum manufactures garments for Mark and Spencer and has around 250 staff in the UK working within design, development, commercial, finance and warehousing positions. The company has an excellent attitude towards training but in the past they have found it difficult to get warehouse employees interested in taking a qualification.

ìWe have a really loyal team of warehouse staff, in fact some of them have been here for 25 years,î said Amy Abethell, HR Manager at Quantum, ìWe wanted to show them that we care about their development and want to invest in them, but the problem was a lot of them had doubts about their ability to do a qualification. We needed a training provider that could allay these fears and fit in with a range of different skill requirements.î

Quantum chose Intec Business Colleges as its training provider because it liked the fact an Intec representative would come in and explain first-hand to learners about the qualifications and talk through their worries concerning their ability to do the course. Since the candidates started their NVQ Level 2s in Warehousing and Distribution in September of last year, some have already completed the programme and the rest are well on their way to doing so.

ìThe great thing about doing these qualifications is that it has shown people who didnít think they had the ability to do an NVQ that they can. We have seen an increase in confidence among employees, which has in turn increased our productivity and morale on the warehouse floor. It has also enabled us to assess those employees who may be suitable to take on more responsibility and perhaps become supervisors in the futureî said Amy.

Amy has organised for Intec to come back to Quantum to talk to more staff about starting a qualification, using those who have already done the programme as an example. She is also hoping to put some of those who have completed an NVQ Level 2 onto a Level 3 qualification.

ìThe feedback I have had from the candidates and warehouse managers has been excellent. The candidates have all been very positive about what they have learnt and about the assessor, who is happy to fit in with their shift patterns. The warehouse managers have seen an increase in interest and understanding from the individuals with regards to their role as well as a rise in outputî said Amy. ìThis has made me really keen to carry on ensuring our warehouse staff are given this opportunity for development.î