Sodexho & ILM deliver frontline professionals
As an employer of some 6,000 people - working in healthcare establishments including large NHS hospitals, residential and nursing homes and private hospitals - Sodexho Healthcare recognises that its people are one of its most important assets and investing in their development is fundamental to the company's success.
In 2005 Sodexho became a registered centre for the Institute of Learning and Management's (ILM) Level 3 Introductory Certificate in First Line Management qualification and since then over 100 of Sodexho's employees have successfully completed the course.
Last month thirteen of Sodexho's employees, who have recently completed the course, were invited to a special presentation at the company's office in Stevenage. Sodexho Healthcare managing director Iain Anderson and ILM chief executive Kim Parish congratulated the thirteen on their achievement and presented them all with their certificate in front of their colleagues.
Through the ILM Sodexho has devised its training programme Developing Frontline Professionals. The training programme is aimed at providing employees, who manage and supervise a number of staff, with the skills to develop their own role and the efficiency of their team. Since the programme's inception last year 108 Sodexho healthcare employees have successfully completed the course.
Kim Parish, ILM's Chief Executive said: “We are always delighted when managers successfully achieve their ILM awards, it shows that they have 'what it takes' to lead. Sodexho's investment in ILM qualifications for their managers will equip their staff for future success in the workplace and provide considerable business benefits for the company.”
To complete the course the participants had to accomplish three core modules: managing people; managing resources and managing customer care. Areas covered include the role of the supervisor, on job training skills, supervising workplace standards, preparing and conducting appraisals, motivation and controlling costs. In total they committed over 70 hours of studying for the course.
Sodexho's own learning and development team provided the training and assessment throughout the course, the final assignment was then sent to ILM for external verification before the certificate was awarded.
Sodexho Healthcare's managing director Iain Anderson said: “The investment we have made in developing our staff is a reflection of the significant role they play in influencing and managing the performance of our teams. We are very proud that so many have achieved the qualification within a year of our association with the ILM.”
