Borders Distillery take advantage of Flexible Workforce Development Fund to help upskill staff

After receiving successful First Aid training in January, employees from the Hawick-based Borders Distillery continued their professional development, with the use of FWDF Phase 2 SME funding, by undertaking the Electrical Awareness and Personal Licence Holder Training.

Staff members Kirsty Olychick, Robyn Jardine, Sarah Fraser Shaun Forbes attended the Electrical Awareness one-day course for in-service inspection and testing. The course covered topics such as regulations, classifications, preliminary inspections, essential tests, labelling and reporting.

Employees Kirsten Blackburn, Finlay Street, Kirsty Olychick and James Grant also attended the Personal License Holder (PLH) training to enable them to apply for their PLH licence, for which any member of staff authorising the sale of alcohol in licensed premises is legally required to hold a Personal Licence. The training, including an exam, took place over a one-day training at the Hawick Campus.

Both courses received positive feedback from individuals on the way they were delivered, which provided the participants with the essential knowledge to take back into the workplace.

Through the funding and training available, John Fordyce, had the following to say:

“We worked with the Borders College team to identify the best combination of deliverable courses and our staff needs.  The courses were timely and the systems for booking in and confirming the outcomes worked very well.”

“We train staff in new skills and also to maintain or update existing skills. The Borders College programme means that we can plan ahead, ensuring staff are given the opportunity of continuous professional development that will assist in the growth of our business and the local economy.“

The Borders Distillery opened in March 2018 – the first Scotch Whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837. The team are dedicated to capturing the true spirit of the Borders and bringing whisky-making back to the region.