Martin Bood and Gary Greening, both employees at Barnett Hill Garden Centre, have successfully passed Level 2 NVQ's in retail skills thanks to a new training partnership with Kidderminster College.

The scheme, Train to Gain, offers companies full funding for NVQ training for any staff over 19 who haven't previously achieved a full Level 2 qualification (equivalent to 5 good GCSEs). Devised by the Learning and Skills Council, Train to Gain, ensures that employers can support their employees in developing basic skills including literacy and numeracy and work towards relevant, valuable qualifications.

NVQ Assessors from Kidderminster College have been working with Martin and Gary from Barnett Hill Garden Centre since December and, through a series of assessments based upon performance criteria reflecting the skills and competencies of the retail industry, they have both successfully achieved their qualification.

48 year old Gary Greening said: "The course was absolutely fantastic I found it really easy to understand and complete and, because I am dyslexic, the college was able to tailor the course to include less written and more operational work.

"Debbie, our NVQ assessor, was absolutely brilliant," continued Gary. "She worked with us to achieve our qualifications and if I was ever stuck she would always take the time to explain things to me. Also, the training rarely disrupted me at work it just became part of my daily routine."

Tracy Skelding NVQ Co-ordinator at Kidderminster College said: "Train to Gain is a fantastic way to encourage and develop staff, especially if they were under achievers at school. Over the past few months we have been working with a number of employees who are learning via Train to Gain and we are extremely pleased with their dedication and commitment to learning."

If you or your company is interested in finding out more about Train to Gain and the funding available, contact Kidderminster College's Business Unit on 01562 512029, or visit our website at www.kidderminster.ac.uk.