17 May 2018
Lightning Labels took out Training Company of the Year at the Pride in Print awards for embracing training across the whole workforce.
PrintNZ General Manager Ruth Cobb said: “They are a small business with a big heart for training and developing their staff and we are thrilled to award them Training Company of the Year.
“They had five staff complete seven qualifications during 2017 and have had at least one staff member complete a qualification every year for at least the last four years.”
The firm has been a finalist in this category for the past three years, and Lightning Labels director Chris Goodwin paid tribute to the “wonderful team” for now being named winners.
“It’s a team win for us,” she said. “Without the dedication and effort our trainees put into their training we wouldn’t have achieved this wonderful result.
“Being a small and privately-owned company we feel very proud to have achieved this and pleased it has been acknowledged within our industry.
“It just shows other small companies what can be achieved, not only for your own company, but the industry as a whole.”
Having just signed another employee to the apprenticeship programme, Goodwin said her firm’s commitment to training was benefiting the business and “empowering employees to achieve higher quality and output levels, and greater work satisfaction”.
“Our company has 24 employees and we had five graduates in 2017 -- so that’s 20% of our company who were actively participating in further education. We give our trainees our full support and encouragement throughout their courses and this also continues well after they have completed their courses.
“We encourage our trainees to continue their education no matter what level they are at. It is this type of investment that will keep our company strong and rejuvenated well into the future.”
Photo: Shane Gordon from Lightning Labels
