‘A skilled workforce provides a solid platform for future development’

According to managing director of Adcock Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Phillip Prior, the company’s approach to training not only brings higher standards but an enviable industry profile.

Q What makes training so important to Adcock?

A  A skilled workforce means you have a solid platform for future growth. But training  opportunities at colleges have reduced drastically over the years so it’s now even more important to invest in your own people if you want to deliver engineering excellence. Our apprentice programme does just that.

Q How has your investment in training been received by the industry?

A Not only are we well known in the industry for our apprentice programme but we’ve also received several awards, including the East of England Business Awards, the ACR News Awards Training Initiative of the year, and the SummitSkills Intermediate Apprentice of the Year.

Q How does this training ethos benefit your business?

A There’s no doubt about it, our approach to training gives us a higher profile among both clients and suppliers. This helps us retain staff and attract a certain calibre of new engineering applicants – something that’s virtually eliminated our need to use employment agencies.

Q What would you say to persuade others that training is worth the investment?

A I’d say don’t look to the short term; training is about investing in the future success and longevity of your company. As a result of our approach we now have an additional 22 qualified engineers on board. So the return on the investment is a motivated and highly skilled workforce, and, of course, happy clients.

Q What does a ‘good day at work’ mean to your business?

A For us, a good day at work is all about knowing we are providing a service based on  honesty and integrity, at the best price, and with the highest engineering standards. It’s something we are proud of – and it makes us who we are today.