Howarth Timber Windows and Doors continues to invest in its employees after 35 staff members successfully gained new qualifications.

Eighteen staff completed their NVQ Level 2, City & Guilds Diploma in Furniture Making: Component Manufacture and a further 17 have completed their NVQ Level 2, City & Guilds Diploma in Wood Machining (Furniture).

Working with training provider Didac and with support from the Wood Industry Forum, the staff completed a series of modules in Howarth’s in-house training centre at The Dock, New Holland, which were designed to enhance their skills.

Topics covered included health and safety, setting up machines for operation, operating the machines, tool setting, changing tooling, reading and understanding work orders and drawings.

The qualification gives the staff increased confidence, will help them improve safety on-site, reduce the likelihood of errors, increase the life span of machines and tooling and enhance the overall skillset of the team.

Howarth Timber Windows and Doors factory manager, Mick Toner, said: “Giving our staff the opportunity to gain this qualification demonstrates our commitment to continual improvement of our employees. As a business, we understand that our staff are our greatest asset so we are happy to invest in them for the benefit of the company and the individual.

“This commitment is another example of our dedication to the Investors in People standard, which recently saw us achieve the coveted Silver Award; giving our experts the recognition they so richly deserve.”