Company Name: Boots UK Ltd Retail Supply Chain
Number of employees: 4,500
Core area of business: Retail and Distribution
Public Qualifications: Skills for Life (numeracy and literacy), NVQs, European Computer Driving Licence and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
The Business Challenge
The Supply Chain division of Boots UK Ltd has looked to, and prioritised, skills development to help with a series of critical business challenges.
The reasons for looking at its skills development is twofold. The Union of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), launched their learning campaign seven years ago against a backdrop of a rapidly changing workforce within Boots Supply Chain, identifying that when learning is made affordable and accessible employees are keen to take it up. Boots worked with the Union and organisations in the learning sector to establish its own learning centre.
The company / Union learning centre opened its doors in 2003 offering a wide variety of programmes.
Secondly, Boots is currently progressing with a significant restructuring of its supply chain, which has led to a multi-million pound investment in its Nottingham warehouse facility. As part of this project, a number of distribution centres around the UK will close in 2009. Through this process Boots has made a commitment to the affected colleagues to provide the guidance and support to enable them to prepare for their changing job roles, retrain and re-skill, as well as boost their future employment prospects with other organisations.
The Solution
With the help of Skills for Logistics and the Learning and Skills Council, Boots was able to identify a number of programmes to help the company support its workforce. It introduced learning programmes to address a number of different needs including Skills for Life - to address numeracy and literacy, ESOL; basic computing including the European Computer Driving Licence (EDCL), and ITQ - a Level 2 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). In addition Boots put some staff through the logistics specific Warehousing & Distribution Level 2 NVQ.
The enthusiasm of Boots' staff and the resulting uptake in qualifications has been really positive. One staff member said:
"I cannot believe how much I learned, after not doing anything since leaving school."
Providers have been equally enthusiastic about the skills provision offered by Boots: "It is an excellent model of true workforce development which all employers should aspire to." Suzanne Ogden, Partnership Manager, Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council.
The Results
