Asda's policies on training were given the seal of approval when the company scooped two honours at the recent Personnel Today awards. The multiple was voted overall winner from the 30 finalists after taking the Focus Quality Services award for excellence in training. All Asda recruits go through an "Asda Way of Working" programme and it was the management training programme that was singled out for praise. Eight outlets across the UK have been designated "stores of learning" after an initial £3m investment. The latest was the Wembley, London, Asda in October, which now takes its share of management trainees for the statutory eight weeks. The other designated training stores are at Wakefield, Birmingham, Boldon, Hamilton in Scotland, Canterbury, Taunton, and Westbrook, near Warrington. Eash is equipped with training facilities and training staff and together they have turned almost 2,000 managers for Asda. About half the intake were existing Asda staff, promoted from the shopfloor. And an additional business benefit from the programme has been a significant reduction in the number first year management trainee drop outs. Paul McKinley, Asda's head of resourcing and development, said: "Investing in developing people makes good business sense and is good news for all our colleagues and our customers." Another arm to the company's training is the Asda Academy, which aims to bring back traditional skills to supermarkets. With it, Asda has achieved its aim of placing a craft butcher, a baker, a greengrocer and a vintner in every one of its 241 stores. The academy was launched two years ago and also has won a national training award. {{PEOPLE MOVES }}

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