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Silver lining for Wearside Training Company - Posted 8th February 2004.

The training business for a Wearside based company has its own special silver lining after winning a top business award for excellence.

Lomax Training Services, with its head office at the Business and Innovation Centre in Sunderland, have been awarded the Silver Award for Outstanding Practice in the New Business category by Investors in People (IIP).

The company, which specialises in skills training for the gas and related industries, won the award after telling the story of how quality training for its own staff had helped the organisation grow from one person to 19 and four training centres in just three years. Lomax Training Services had spotted a niche in the need for skills training in the industry in which he had worked for more than 20 years.

They recognised that demand for skills was increasing at a time many people were retiring from the gas industry leaving a growing gap in the number of people needed. But Managing Director Jim Lomax recognised that to win and retain business, his organsiation had to demonstrate that they were the best and that their own people were themselves highly qualified.

The IIP Award was a crucial piece of evidence as was the UKAS Quality Management Award, both achieved within two years of setting up the business.

Now to be recognised with the Outstanding Practice award is extra special and said Jim, a credit to everyone within the organisation: "Everyone has worked extremely hard across the company and training is a way of life for everyone here. We may have found a niche in the market but we are now moving into new training markets and we will all continue to learn to secure our future," he said.

The IIP Awards are run by Business Link and the Learning and Skills Council. The judges praised Lomax Training Services for its vision in establishing new staff development processes and achieving many positive outcomes for the business very quickly.

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