Case Studies
Transport
trent barton, Mansfield Road, Heanor, Derbyshire
The current company name evolved after 1989 when the two bus companies, Trent and Barton, joined
together. However they both have a long history: Trent from 1913 and Barton from 1908. And that history is something
that very many of the current staff have direct experience of as can be seen by the impressive company records.
Of the current 1,000 employees, over 300 have worked there for more than 10 years, 140 for more than
20 years, 60 for more than 30 years and 11 for more than 40 years. Indeed one of their drivers started work for the
company in 1959! This is clearly a company that looks after its staff.
850 of the current staff are drivers, all of whom have to hold a PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle)
Licence and a Certificate of Professional Competence involving 35 hours of approved training and lasting for 5
years.
The company takes training very seriously and is the current holder of the GoSkills "Large Employer of
the Year" Training Award. All staff are offered NVQ training to Level 2, the majority of which is delivered in
partnership with Access Training. Guy Gibson, Head of Training, commented that he was "very pleased with the
service we get" and that the training produces "a more focused and committed employee who is doing it because they
want to, not because they have to". For many of their staff, it is their first real certificated qualification. They have
never had their ability formally recognised before and this encourages some to go onto supervisory positions within the
company as a result of the confidence they have gained and the formal recognition of this.
trent barton Managing Director, Jeff Counsell, is keen to acknowledge this success,
presenting each certificate personally and ensuring that every successful learner is given a framed NVQ certificate
along with a photograph of their presentation and an engraved enamel badge denoting their achievement. This badge
is highly prized!
One of the company’s mottos is "treat every customer like your Mum" and this provides a focus for
their customer service training. They are the only bus company to have a ‘no quibble’ money back guarantee if a
passenger is dissatisfied with their service and, additionally, insist that all their drivers have a go at
getting on a bus in a wheel chair to ensure they can empathise with disabled customers.
Jamie Cheatle, currently Operations Director of the Kinchbus Depot in Loughborough, is an
example of many in the organisation who started at the ground floor, mostly as bus drivers. He was recruited as a
bus driver in partnership with Access Training in 1993. He achieved his NVQ Level 2 in 1997 and has progressed through
a number of roles within the company to his current position.
In order to enhance the future success of the company ,the board at trent barton has recently made a
commitment to a pilot project to take on approximately 100 new recruits and put them through an apprenticeship
programme to be called the "trent barton diploma". This will give the company a real opportunity to look at how they
train their staff and Access Training is looking forward to working with them on this as part of our long association
with them.
Managing Director, Jeff Counsell, presenting a proud Sonia Edmunds with her NVQ certificate
Allen Metcalf receiving his NVQ certificate from Deputy Chairman, Ian Morgan
