Apprenticeship firm wins award

A firm specialising in the development of apprenticeship programmes for large employers has scooped a prestigious regional award from international coaching firm ActionCOACH.

And The PDS Group, based in Lower Fyfield, has been named by ActionCOACH as a Finalist in the Best Overall Company category at the 2012 Business Excellence Awards.

PDS, which works with large employers to deliver high quality apprenticeship programmes, was awarded Business of the Year 2011 by ActionCOACH Sally Rainbow-Ockwell at the end of December.

“Many of my clients have achieved financial growth this year but I selected the PDS Group as my overall winner for 2011 because of the combination of their financial success and the way they have embraced change," said Sally.

"They have shown 100 percent commitment to make business change a fundamental part of how they run their business and have been prepared to listen and personally change the way they do things."

"They will do have shown great balance and understanding of the people in their business, which will make the changes they make sustainable in the long term.”

The PDS Group has also been nominated as a finalist for The Business Excellence Awards sponsored by ActionCOACH, which showcases exceptional results for business owners, entrepreneurs, their teams and their companies.

The PDS Group was among more than 250 companies participating in the event this year. Winners will be announced at the Business Excellence Awards ceremony held in Reading in January.

Commenting on the award, David Willett, director of The PDS Group, said: “Being recognised for business success by an international organisation such as ActionCOACH is a real boost for everyone at PDS who work so hard to provide a quality service for our clients.

"Last year we were very proud to have delivered some sizeable projects and our priority was to make sure that we had the right systems, processes and financial controls in place to manage the huge growth we were experiencing. We have some big plans for 2012 which already looks looks like it will be our best year ever.”

The PDS Group’s existing clients include Visa Europe, Telefónica and Cable and Wireless among others.

Pictured: PDS Group directors Jenny Harman and David Willett with their award.