VERDANT LAUNCHES SKILL TRAINING FOR HUNDREDS OF STAFF

Sevenoaks, Kent, 25th April 2008 – Municipal services specialist Verdant Group Plc, part of Greenstar UK, has launched its biggest skills and competency training programme to date. The voluntary programme, funded by the Learning & Skills Council, is being offered to nearly 1,200 of Verdant’s operatives on the 20 contracts it has with English local authorities.

An initial pilot of the training programme, which is intended to raise health & safety awareness and standards, improve efficiency and productivity, and, importantly, give manual staff a recognised vocational certificate of competency, is nearing completion with staff delivering Verdant’s refuse, recycling and cleansing contract for Arun District Council in Sussex.

According to David Maidman, Verdant contract portfolio manager who also has responsibility for health and safety, the Arun programme was taken up by 120 of the 125 staff there. During the programme, which takes a minimum of ten weeks, participants had to develop a portfolio of work-based evidence used in their normal daily activities, such as round sheets, public information notices, rejected materials, and daily check sheets, and then be assessed ‘on the job’.

“It’s a focused and practical programme,” says Maidman, “which formally validates the skills and expertise of our staff. As well as reminding them about what they do know, it also gives them new skills, all of which result in the award of an NVQ Level 2 certificate in Waste Management Operations. It is important and recognised evidence of transferable professional skills.”

Ken Cool, a streets operative and sweeper driver at Arun, described the course as ‘very informative and an important reminder about health and safety’. His view was echoed by Dave Tomkins, a recycling LGV driver, who said the course ‘reinforced the message about why we follow health and safety rules and why it’s important not to become complacent about these issues’.

Simon Charman, lead assessor of the South Western Regional Assessment Centre, who coached the Arun staff and who will deliver the programme across England during 2008, says the biggest objective of the training is to promote safe working and good practice for all staff taking part in the programme.

It will also provide a recognised qualification for a vital part of the organisations workforce. All staff taking part in the scheme will also complete the ‘IOSH Working Safely Course’, a nationally-recognised safety award approved by the HSE.

Maidman explains: “Verdant has won an award for its commitment to effective health and safety, and minimising risk and accidents remains a constant focus for senior and middle management, and for our staff on the ground. Our record is excellent, we will continue to maintain that quality, and through this programme, will contribute to raising standards in the waste industry.”

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About Verdant
Verdant Group Plc, part of the Greenstar UK group, provides waste collection, recycling and cleansing services for an expanding local authority customer base in England and Wales. It makes an estimated 20 million-plus waste and recycling collections annually on behalf of its 24 current local authority customers. Recent additions to its portfolio include a seven year waste, recycling and cleansing contract for Stratford-on-Avon District Council; seven year cleansing, waste and recycling contracts for Rother District Council and Swale Borough Council; a seven year recycling, refuse and cleansing contract for South Buckinghamshire District Council; and, as its first London borough contract, a six year waste collection and recycling service for Waltham Forest Council. During 2007, Verdant also started a six year management contract for seven of Kent County Council’s 12 household waste recycling centres. Other current local authority customers include Melton, Anglesey, Gosport, Mid Bedfordshire, South Bedfordshire, Bridgend, South Oxfordshire, Chiltern, Arun, Surrey Heath, Aylesbury Vale and Wycombe. The Verdant-operated Arun Green Waste Club won the Best Partnership Project category at the 2007 National Recycling Awards, and Verdant also won the Best Commitment to Health & Safety Practice category of the 2005 National Recycling Awards.

For further media information, contact:

Blair Drummond, Verdant PR consultant – tel (m) 07798 686 217, email blair.drummond@btopenworld.com