Ambassadors - North East
As is the norm, the North East Panel was the first to meet in the country. This year we have a judge from the Yorkshire panel joining us to add to our mix of those representing the North East and we have a brand new judge to keep us on our toes!
This year in the North East we received a healthy 28 entries getting through to the first panel which coincidentally is the same as last year, but given the current climate is a healthy number. This is particularly good given that the number of entries was quite low but this means the calibre is quite high
Part of the process is to score and decide as a panel which of the entries should have a verification visit, where we check out what has been said in the entry to make sure it can be substantiated. We speak to some of the people who have been trained as well as the endorser of the entry.
The judges, I am sure will agree with me, that this makes for the most exciting part of the process and all visits have now been made.
NTA Regional Award Winner, Partnership and Collaboration; North Country Leisure Ltd.
Customers Rate the Results of Staff Training
Customers using leisure facilities run by Northumberland company North Country Leisure (NCL) have seen improvements in the service they receive, following training that aimed to build on already high standards of customer care.
Research carried out by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) found customers perceived staff at the not-for-profit organisation, which runs sites across Northumberland and Cumbria, as friendlier, more helpful and more knowledgeable following the initiative. The training was designed and delivered by NCL´s training partner The Jackson Curtis Partnership.
APSE´s independent survey rated customer perception on a five point scale. It found staff friendliness rose from 4.4 before the training to 4.5 afterwards. Helpfulness improved from 4.3 to 4.5 and knowledge rose from 4.3 to 4.4. Customers were more satisfied with the public information on display (from 4.0 to 4.25) and the clear display of prices (3.5 to 3.8). Further feedback came from the company´s internal quality auditor, whose average quality scores rose from 73 in the three months leading up to the training to 79.5 in the three months following.
Name : Sally Walker
With a career background in workforce development, Sally is now running her own company, focusing on everything she is passionate about; people in business! Helping both public and private sector businesses to achieve the maximum from their team's potential.
She has promoted and supported the National Training Awards for 14 years, with a number of clients winning Regional and National recognition. For the past 4 years she has been a judge on the North East Panel, which continues to spur on her enthusiasm for training.
