BRADSTONE employees have recently been commended for the success of their on-the-job training after 26 members of the workforce productively passed courses in supervisory management, personnel development and safety compliance.

The majority of the employees were production operatives but team leaders from Aggregate Industries' Bradstone division also participated in the training.

All 26 work for Aggregate Industries, a leading UK manufacturer of garden and structural hard landscaping products, and were sent to the courses being run at Swindon College over a four month period.

The three subjects were Government-funded programmes with a standard set between NVQ 1 and 2, part of the Aggregate Industries' target for 50% of all operatives to have achieved NVQ level 2 by next year and 100% by 2009.

The company is aiming for these statistics in order to develop its workforce and to reduce accident and injury rates.

Site manager of the Bradstone North End factory in Ashton Keynes, John Dean, said: "Passing the courses has helped the team to gain a greater understanding of company procedures.

"Ultimately this can only benefit the company and in the short time since they were awarded the courses have already improved human relations internally and raised performance," the factory manager said.

Following the completion of the courses, 14 further employees have now began studying for similar courses including eight members of the factory's loading team taking NVQ 2 in Distribution and Warehouse Management.