Chelsea's training is a credit to the business
3 January 2007
Chelsea becomes the first bank or building society to gain accreditation in training excellence
The Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) has awarded its Accreditation of Training Excellence for Firms to Chelsea Building Society.
Chelsea, the UK’s 6th largest building society is the first bank or building society to achieve this accolade and have led the way for others to follow. The FSSC is the only independent body representing the entire financial services industry. It was established in 2004 to lead the skills and productivity drive in financial services.
The FSSC scheme is designed for firms that can show that their investment in training produces solid business outcome. Successful applicants receive an Accreditation Award lasting three years, after which the firm will need to be re-licensed.
“Gaining accreditation was a rigorous process which took over 6 months” said Jeff Farish, head of staff development at Chelsea. “We had to complete comprehensive audits for business and training priorities together with our strategy, resources and reviews. Finally a two day visit from independent external auditors allowed them to assess our submission against the evidence they found in person. This involved interviewing staff, managers and of course the training team.”
The accreditation not only means that Chelsea stands out from the crowd as leaders in training and commitment to development, but also means they now have the right to proudly display a specially devised FSSC accreditation logo in literature and documentation. They will also be listed on the FSSC Accreditation Online Directory.
“Being the first bank or building society to gain accreditation makes us incredibly proud” Farish continued. “It demonstrates that our investment in training and staff development not only adds value by delivering solid business outcomes but also supports business change, which in turn will have a positive impact on customers, members and staff. It also gives a great message to staff considering Chelsea as a future employer”.
FSSC Chief Executive Teresa Sayers said: “We are delighted to award FSSC Accreditation to Chelsea Building Society. We were impressed by Chelsea’s investment in training & development, that their staff are fully engaged in the learning process and that the company demonstrated a top to bottom culture of living their values”.
For more information on the FSSC Accreditation of Training Excellence for Firms to Chelsea Building Society please contact Vicki O’Connell or Susie Ratcliffe on 01242 271466.
Notes
- Chelsea is the UK’s 6th largest building society and has assets of over £10 billion
- The Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) is an independent, employer-led organisation, established in 2004 to provide strategic leadership for education, training and skills development for the financial services industry across the UK. It aims to improve productivity and business performance by ensuring that the industry is equipped with the range and level of skills that it needs. The financial services sector is central to the UK economy, generating over 5% of UK GDP and with a turnover of more than £46bn a year. It employs more than a million people in more than 35,000 companies, and affects every single person in the UK. The FSSC sets performance standards for the entire sector, including banking, building societies, insurance companies and brokers, independent financial advisers, investment administration and pensions. See: www.fssc.org.uk
- The Accreditation of Training Excellence for Firms is one of a suite of accreditation and recognition schemes designed to show where firms, training providers and individual trainers have achieved excellence in training. Other current schemes are Accreditation of Training Excellence for Providers, which accredits providers who can demonstrate that their training adds value to their clients’ business, and the FSSC Recognised Trainer scheme, which recognises individual and in-house trainers.
- FSSC contact Sue Martin, PR Consultant, FSSC, T – 020 7216 7381 sue.martin@fssc.org.uk
