A STORE is encouraging its staff to take part in training to advance their careers.

Woolworths, in Hartlepool, has put a third of its employees through national vocational qualifications (NVQ) with tailor-made courses.

So far, workers have achieved NVQs in business administration, team leadership, retail and warehousing.

Store manager Carl Bartlett first found out about the Train to Gain service, which is funded by the Learning and Skills Council North-East, through his local branch of JHP Training.

He said: "The scheme has given us an opportunity to take stock of the skills of all of our staff and provide training to suit their individual needs and the jobs that they do.

"Many people assume that everyone in retail needs the same skills, but that is not the case. There are many specialisms within our own store alone, so it was important for us to find a training package that was flexible."