A TRAINING company is looking to increase its turnover to half a million after winning a contract with one of the North's largest transport providers.
Hartlepool-based Amacus will team up with Nexus, owner of Tyne and Wear Metro, to develop those employed in front-line management and supervisor positions.
The two-year contract will see Amacus deliver leadership and management training to around 60 managers employed across a range of vocations within the organisation.
Nexus is investing £385m in its infrastructure, renewing and upgrading the Metro system. The training programme, led by Amacus, will ensure its people have the key skills to match these multi-million-pound developments.
The contract is a big win for the company which opened a second Sunderland office in 2010 to meet growing demand for its services in the area. Managing director Christine Hall said: “We worked really hard to win the contract with Nexus. It took us around nine months from start to finish, but we are delighted to have won the company over with our bespoke offer.
“We’ve been growing as a company year on year and we’re in a strong position to reach our £500,000-turnover target by 2014. We’re a profitable firm that is growing people, reputation and product portfolio.
“We currently employ nine people but we’re looking to up that by at least another two in the coming months. The kind of contracts we’re pitching for take a lot of winning but our customers are happy and they’re seeing great results. We’re pleased to be working with an organisation like Nexus. We’re sure our training will have a positive outcome for their staff and the future of the organisation.”
The programme will pay particular attention to leadership and management, beginning with assessment before progressing to profiling, coaching and training workshops.
Amacus will be helping staff to work towards a nationally recognised qualification from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
Other recent successes have seen Amacus win contracts with North East employers across the public and private sector including Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, local authorities in Sunderland, Gateshead and Hartlepool, Department of Work and Pensions, Vantec and Pulman Group.
It is now looking to win contracts outside the region as part of its expansion plans.
Hall said: “We’ve won some pretty high-profile contracts in the region but it’s always been our ambition to work outside the area. The programmes we produce and deliver are not off the shelf. They’re tailored to the specific needs of an employer and their staff, and that’s what makes it so attractive.”
Bill Collingwood, management development manager at Nexus, said: “We chose Amacus because of its reputation, its understanding of our requirements and its professional approach. With so much change in the coming years, we need people to be equipped with the right tools to deal with these developments.
“The vision of the programme is to ensure that the right people are in the right roles, that our leaders and managers are engaged and responsive, and that other members of staff are inspired by the wider workforce.”
