Investment in personnel development

B&Q, a British DIY chain, is currently in the process of setting up its own Training Academy, which is designed to contribute to the training of some 4 000 sales staff. Here employees can study for a nationally recognised City & Guilds qualification in home improvement. This was launched last year, at which time B&Q was the first UK retailer approved to offer the qualification. The company is investing € 2.2 mio in the academy, for which it is using existing internal training development personnel plus a certain amount of support from suppliers. According to the company, the Academy is just the latest in a series of initiatives designed to improve both staff training and customer service.