NORTH-EAST based pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer, Sterling Pharma Solutions, has been given an award by Derwentside College for its commitment to staff development.
The Derwentside College Annual Achievement Awards recognise the achievements of individuals, however following Sterling’s ongoing dedication to training and upskilling its staff, the team has been presented with the Exceptional Commitment to Training Award.
Over the past two years the pharma firm, based in Dudley, has worked closely with Derwentside College to help its staff obtain qualifications in areas including performing manufacturing operations, cleaning and support services skills, management, leadership and customer service.
So far 60 of the company’s employees have enrolled on NVQs and apprenticeship frameworks designed to help them further their careers.
Kevin Cook, CEO at Sterling Pharma Solutions said, “We’re delighted to have been given this award. The progression and professional development of our team is really important to us and so it’s great to be recognised for the work we’ve been doing.
“We have a history of ‘growing our own’ employees at the site. Many of our senior members of staff began their careers as Sterling apprentices nearly 40 years ago.
“We recognise that through training and development we can develop managers and leaders of the future and that’s what we’re continuously working towards.
“This award is not only testament to the company’s commitment to learning and development, but also to our staff who’ve achieved their qualifications. We look forward to working with Derwentside College in the future and continuing to help our staff achieve their goals.”
As a result of its training programme a number of Sterling’s team have received promotions and many have moved up the company’s internal grading system, which aims to give individuals more responsibility and greater long term career opportunities.
Susan Errington, executive director at Derwentside College said, “The exceptional commitment that Sterling has shown to its team’s development meant our assessors couldn’t single out just one student for the award.
“We’ve run these awards for many years and one of our aims is to recognise students who have overcome educational barriers in order to take the next step in their careers. There are so many employees at Sterling who have done this so we wanted to reward the whole company for everyone’s achievements.”
Sterling Pharma Solutions was given a special mention at the ceremony which was attended by guest speaker, Falkland’s war veteran and author, Simon Weston CBE.
Sterling Pharma Solutions specialises in developing and producing active ingredients for drug products for drug developers all over the world.
For further information about the company please visit http://www.sterlingpharmasolutions.com.