Award recognises commitment to training seasonal staff

Family theme park Pleasurewood Hills is reaping the benefits of investing in training its seasonal staff.

The Lowestoft-based company brought in skills specialist Seetec to offer training towards recognised qualifications for its summer workforce.

Seetec trained more than 60 staff members, with the majority achieving customer service qualifications. Several of the theme park’s permanent staff also achieved ILM leadership qualifications.

At Suffolk Chamber of Commerce’s recent Lowestoft & Waveney Business Awards, attended by 200 local business representatives and their guests, Pleasurewood Hills won the Commitment to Skills & Staff Development Award 2017.

Pleasurewood Hills were selected for their commitment to training staff from the moment they join the organisation, and an understanding of how this impacts on customer satisfaction.

The judges highlighted Pleasurewood Hills’ commitment to younger people and seasonal workers, praising the company for demonstrating excellence in their approach to workforce development that translated into benefits for the business.

Pleasurewood Hills General Manager, Adam Noble, who took over at the helm this year, said: “We are responsible for a lot of young people who are just working with us for the season, and it’s important for them to be able to develop their skills and to leave with a qualification. It helps to motivate them and give them the enthusiasm to do their job better.”

Seetec Assessor, Tony Sadler, said:“ It has been a pleasure working with the management and staff at Pleasurewood Hills over the past six months, and assisting them with their development through bespoke in-house training and accredited City & Guilds and ILM courses.

“Pleasurewood Hills is a great example of an employer that understands the importance of consistent and continuous development of their staff, even their seasonal workers who may in other businesses be overlooked.

“At Seetec we support businesses across the UK to develop their workforce through apprenticeships, employability skills and traineeship programmes. I am delighted that Pleasurewood Hills’ efforts have been recognised with this award.”

Sarah Morris joined Pleasurewood Hills earlier this year as Catering Manager and achieved her Level 2 Team Leader award through Seetec.

Sarah said: “In 15 years in catering and hospitality I have never got a qualification, and this was my first on-the-job training opportunity. 

“It’s made me think a lot more about creating a good environment and how to motivate the team, it’s helped me a lot. I also learned a lot about improving waste management.”

Michelle Gardner, Senior Events Coordinator for Suffolk Chamber, commented: “Our awards allow us to come together to celebrate and recognise the entrepreneurism and excellence within our county.

“It is truly magnificent to see our business awards celebrating its tenth year, with so many businesses showcasing their skills, talent and success. Every year there are more entries and more difficult decisions for the judges to make.”