Hickton clerk of works builds towards future success with LEP support
Yorkshire-based construction industry firm Hickton has bolstered its industry credentials through investment in staff training thanks to support from the LEP.
Building on success
Hickton has been awarded two grants from the LEP’s skills service, totalling £1,897.50. The investment will help to support future growth, allowing the business to continue to build on its 25-year track record in supporting construction projects.
Hickton oversee building work within the construction industry, performing a quality assurance role on high value projects. The wide breadth and scope of its work includes site inspection, project management, forensic investigating, quality assurance, and compliance inspection.
Creating new roles
The business recognised the need to invest in training to meet its growth ambitions and allow an existing member of staff to become an internal auditor. This is a role that hadn’t previously been available in the company. The investment in training allowed the business to achieve immediate cost savings, as well as helping to work towards achieving the next certified Quality Management System (QMS) accreditation.
Tony Mobbs, Managing Director of Hickton, said: “Thanks to the funding from the LEP, we’re now in a great position to deliver further growth for the business. The training provided the skills to prepare, conduct and follow up on audit activities, creating immediate cost savings for the business, as well as increasing internal capacity.
“We’re currently looking to transition to the newer certified QMS accreditation, and training was required to develop the internal skills and competencies needed to understand, implement and maintain this new quality standard.
“Previously we’ve had to incur costs to outsource the function of an internal auditor so this has helped us save the business money. The training gave the employee the underpinning knowledge of the audit process and for the confidence to lead all our internal audits. We’re grateful for the funding from the LEP as the transition focus of this training, combined with the business benefits and performance strategy elements, has elevated her skill set and knowledge base.”
Further training ambitions
Since the training has been undertaken, Hickton have been successful in securing additional funding of almost £1,500 from the LEP for management training.