Recognising outstanding training and development


The Southern Tech 100, now in its third year, is an annual listing of the top 100 private, independent technology companies in the south. The top 100 companies in this year’s list employ over 16,000 people in the region and generate a turnover of nearly £5.2 billion. To recognise the continued success of businesses within this list, GCS Recruitment Specialists has introduced a Training & Development Award open to all companies within the Top 100


After a number of outstanding entries, we are delighted to confirm that we have a winner and a highly commended business. They are:


Winner– Ultima Business Solutions


There are very few professional development programmes that can genuinely claim to be best in class but Ultima’s


approach to training and development is a textbook example of everything such a programme should be.


Their employees feel engaged and positive about the support they receive and a staff turnover of just 14% is testament to how hard the company works to ensure it is an enjoyable and rewarding place to grow a career.


A huge emphasis is placed on internal communication within Ultima with regular newsletters, company meetings and a “state of the nation” address from the owner ensuring transparency of collective purpose. Success is celebrated at all levels, and in all areas of the company, and there is a focus throughout the business to promote from within wherever possible and provide opportunities for career development across the whole business. An excellent example of this is the fact that the new CTO began his career with Ultima as a project coordinator.


Ultima’s employees are supported by a fantastic training programme that starts with a formal year-long program including mentoring and shadowing in all areas of the company in order to encourage a thorough understanding of all aspects of the business. Following this, there are ongoing assessments to establish what guidance and training each individual requires, and


Highly commended – Allied Worldwide


Allied Worldwide provides an outstanding training and development programme for everyone. The company has worked tirelessly to raise the awareness of careers in technology and its apprenticeship scheme provides a fantastic opportunity for those looking to build a career within the sector.


Allied Worldwide engages school and college leavers in a 12-month apprenticeship that provides


Annette Shuff, HR manager at Ultima Business Solutions, received the award from David Bloxham, managing director, GCS Recruitment Specialists


e-learning and webinars available on demand, as well as external training courses which add new voices and new skills to the development process.


Annette Shuff, HR manager at Ultima Business Solutions, commented: “We are delighted that our training and development efforts have been recognised by the Southern Tech 100 and GCS Recruitment Specialists. I genuinely believe that Ultima is a great place to work and that is a result of the emphasis we place in the supporting, training and development of our own people and creating an enjoyable working environment for them.


“One of our key business practices is to identify the best home-grown talent and invest in our own people – in fact, every single member of the Ultima Board is home-grown. To us, it is all about recognising success, making sure everybody working here feels valued and that their career is


them with first-hand work experience. Alongside the work experience is a buddy program, where senior members of staff mentor the juniors, as well as online training, quarterly reviews, ongoing advice from their CIO and permanent opportunities for those successful within the apprenticeship.


As a company focused on IT support, the career progression is linear but clear; start on the first line and, once proven, an employee will get the chance to progress to the second line. After that,


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – NOVEMBER 2014


headed in the right direction. Regular reviews and clear objectives are coupled with managers who really know how to get the best out of their team and this creates an environment in which people can grow their careers in whatever direction they want.


“Our CTO started at Ultima as a project coordinator 10 years ago and this is one of many internal success stories we have - we’ve seen people go from reception to accounts and from sales to project management. First and foremost, what we look for is a great attitude. Skills can be taught so what we need is somebody with the right attitude and a flexibility to turn their hand to anything. It is by attracting, engaging and focusing on the training of individuals like that that we can make sure our business continues to move forward.”


their future is in their own hands but one thing is for sure – Allied’s commitment to making sure their employees are equipped with the tools to succeed make it a very reasonable bet that most of their entry-level talent will go a long way within the industry as they continue to develop throughout their career.


Details: www.gcsltd.com www.businessmag.co.uk/southern-tech-100


www.businessmag.co.uk


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