A‐Plant makes the grade through targeted training : Hire firm transforms attitudes to people development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how training helped UK hire company A‐Plant to improve customer service and profitability, promote more of its own employees to management posts and slash employee turnover by 18 percent. Design/methodology/approach – Highlights the reasons for the introduction of the training, the form the training took and the results of the initiative. Findings – Reveals that management training is providing a clear development path for staff and supplying the business with future managers. Customer service, employee morale and A‐Plant's external reputation have also improved. Practical implications – Details a highly practical training initiative that, through numerous on‐the‐job checklists and exercises, backed up with highly participative off‐the‐job workshops, has ensured that it is now much easier to transfer learning back into the workplace. Originality/value – Provides the example of a company that has taken training back to first principles to ensure that it genuinely meets the needs of the business.