Chess Telecom was named as the North West winner in the Partnership and Collaboration category for its Personal Performance Programme, which was developed with growth consultant TWF.
So far Chess has invested half a million pounds in the PPP which is a nine day intensive course designed to provide all Chess people with the belief, knowledge, skill and motivation needed to be successful in both their professional and personal goals.
Chess Telecom sees people development as underpinning the growth and success of the business and so far, since the 2006 launch of the PPP, its customer base, turnover, profit and headcount have all grown steadily.
Chair of the North West judging panel, Peter Cresswell, said: "The National Training Awards have been celebrating training that transforms individuals and organisations for more than 20 years. This year there has been a 41 percent increase in entries for the Awards in the North West and the quality of the entries just goes on improving."
Simon Bartley, UK Skills Chief Executive, said: "The National Training Awards provide tangible examples of the positive effects of investment in high quality training. I am delighted to see such a diverse range of quality entries in 2008."
"It’s clear that individuals and organisations who invest in high quality training reap the benefits. Training not only increases performance and generates growth but it fosters team building and leads to the broader success of the organisation."
Skills Minister David Lammy said: "The National Training Awards foster a culture of learning, celebrate skills development, and make a real difference to the performance of companies and individuals the length and breadth of the country by challenging them to invest in their own development and future. The finalists demonstrate the dynamic range of training taking place across the UK and the benefits of achieving excellence."
“A business is nothing without its people,” said Chess Telecom Chief Executive David Pollock. “I truly believe the growth and success of Chess people will underpin the growth and success of our business and this is why we have invested over half a million pounds in our unique Personal Performance Programme.”
Chess Performance Manager, Andy Green was delighted for Chess to win the award. “It is far and away the proudest moment of my career. It is reward for a lot of hard work and investment from Chess and TWF. At Chess, we are passionate about developing our people and the Performance Programme we have implemented is focused on doing exactly that. We're very proud of the results we have achieved on the back of our Blueprint for Success."