Newcastle Dairy has been celebrating recently following the re-accreditation of its Investors In People (IIP) standard.
Newcastle is Arla Foods' only site to achieve IIP recognition and to have been re-accredited with IIP recognition. It was first awarded the IIP Standard in December 2000.
"The re-accreditation assessment can take place between one and three years following the original accreditation. Newcastle's re-accreditation assessment took place recently and was successful," explained Charlotte Greenwood, regional training officer.
"IIP is a national standard which sets out a level of good practice for the training and development of people to achieve business goals. It provides a framework for increasing business performance and competitiveness through a planned approach to setting and communicating business objectives, and developing people to meet these objectives," explained Charlotte.
"The assessor looked at our training and development systems, our communication systems and our business development processes. He also conducted interviews with 30 people representing all functions and positions to get their views regarding whether the dairy does 'invest in its people'," added Ron Little, Newcastle Dairy operations co-ordinator.
The assessor who visited Newcastle was very impressed with what he saw and made particular reference to the enthusiasm and energy at the dairy, the pride of the workforce and the sense of commitment from everyone. "I will have no hesitation in singing your praises," he added.