Happy Leap Day everyone! Of course today is the day when women are allowed to ask men to marry them, rather than the other way around – a deal supposedly struck by St Brigid with St Patrick.
Traditionally, if the man declines the offer, they are meant to give the woman something in recompense – some money, a new dress, or 12 pairs of gloves (to disguise the fact that there is no engagement ring). Hmmmm I could do with a new dress…. Anyway, on to other things!
Examination successes!
We ran two auditing courses in the first week of this month – Auditing Skills and Supplier Auditing. All the delegates worked really hard and so we’re delighted to announce a 100% examination pass rate for both courses. Well done everyone!
We’re also very proud of our Sales & Marketing Executive, Jodie. She has achieved a Merit in her latest round of examinations towards the Chartered Institute of Marketing Certificate in Professional Marketing. Jodie has done incredibly well as she has been studying whilst working full-time here at Verner Wheelock. All the late night and weekend studies have definitely paid off.
Lent
update
updateWe’re also pleased to announce that we have all stuck to our guns and so, far, nobody has given in to temptation as far as our Lent pledges are concerned. I won’t deny it hasn’t been tough with Cobble Kitchen’s coffee and cakes on our doorstep, but we’re determined to see it through. Watch this space!
Food Safety Update
This month also saw the first of our Food Safety Update course. It was well attended and the ideal course for people who had attained their Level 4 Food Safety qualification quite a while ago. The one-day course provided updates on recent changes to food safety management and legislation as well as Food Standards Agency campaigns and strategies. Any recent updates relating to HACCP and the day to day management of food safety were also covered in depth.
In-house courses
The most popular in-house courses this month have been Level 3 Food Safety and the TACCP workshops. Don’t forget that if you have five or more people to train, an in-house course can be particularly cost-effective – especially if you take travel or accommodation into account. For more information, just pick up the phone and speak to Karen or Claire – they’ll be happy to provide you with a quote.
Ethical Audits
Another element which has been keeping us very busy is Ethical Auditing. As you know, we have been offering this service for a number of years and have worked closely with one of the most experienced auditors in the business, Keith Stamp.
Verner Wheelock still offers SMETA ethical audits to many customers as well as food industry training, but we are also working in partnership with Keith Stamp Social Auditing (KSSA) to carry out the day-to-day administration for KSSA ethical audits. This is a very good fit for our business as many of the companies that need an ethical audit are food processors and growers who are already familiar with our training services.
So all-in-all another busy month at Verner Wheelock!
What’s coming up next month?
Level 4 Food Safety – 7- 11 March 2016 (course full)
Level 4 HACCP – 14-17 March 2016 (course full)
Auditing Skills – 21-22 March 2016
Managing Food Allergens in Manufacturing – 23 March 2016
As ever, all details about forthcoming courses can be found on the main website www.vwa.co.uk or by contactuign Claire or Karen on 01756 700802.