IT was hard hats off for success when Bolton chartered architects Good and Tillotson celebrated gaining the national Investors in People standard.

The award, which recognises excellence in employee development, comes during the firm's 20th anniversary year.

The company, which is based in Myrtle Street, is working on a range of new build and conversion projects across the UK and is only one of a handful of architectural practices nationwide to have received Investors in People recognition.

The seven-strong team has also been successful in achieving ISO9001.

Director John Smalley said: "The emphasis on training has been the most important element. Recruiting the right staff was proving difficult and we felt Investors in People would help us to train and develop our employees.

"We are now much more focused on identifying training needs and, in addition, we have undertaken a great deal of extra training which may not otherwise have happened."

He added: "This is a recognised standard of excellence and I like to think that because of that our clients will benefit too."

Good and Tillotson was helped through the Investors process by Bolton and Bury Chamber's Workforce Development team. Successful team, from left: Natalie Marlow, John Smalley, Michael Lyons, Becki Wilkinson of Bolton and Bury Chamber, Joanna Hollinshead, John Tillotson, Jyoti Patel and Anne Hatch

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