A specialist Leicestershire training firm is celebrating signing up their 200th candidate in NVQ Level 2 Plant Operations, with help from Train to Gain, the Government's flagship skills service run by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) aimed at helping businesses to succeed.

Keith Cook Training Services near Coalville, started to run their courses in May 2007. The success of the NVQ has meant the company, who specialise in training East Midlands' plant operators, from forklift truck drivers to dump truck drivers, has had to take on four new members of staff - three new trainers and assessors and one administrative assistant.


Keith Cook, Managing Director for Keith Cook Training Services said: "We recognised there was a huge demand for the NVQ Plant Operations Level 2 as it is now a requirement to hold this qualification in order to operate plant on major construction sites. With the help of the LSC, we have been able to offer this qualification to our existing customers and many are only too pleased to help their staff to achieve the qualification, in line with Government recommendations.

"It's been a huge success and we're thrilled to be signing up our 200th learner, Susan Ottey, who's also the first woman to sign up for the course. Susan has worked at Standard Soap in Ashby de la Zouch for 20 years, operating a counterbalance and a reach truck."

Standard Soap's Personnel Officer June Hart also said: "So far three of our employees have done the Plant operations NVQ and we're really pleased with how it's going. The assessors at Keith Cook have worked really hard to tailor the NVQs to the staffs' specific jobs and to ensure the training has fitted around their working pattern."

(JM)