Building a prosperous future for staff

Building a prosperous future for staff

A family run business, founded in Carmarthenshire, has been celebrating the achievements of its female staff, having committed to supporting their leadership skills.

LBS Builders Merchants, held a graduation event for the women who have attained their Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) awards, which form part of gender equality charity Chwarae Teg’s wider career development programme. 

Founded in 1931, LBS Builders Merchants has its Head Office in Ammanford and has grown to become the largest  leading independent builders’ merchants in South Wales, now comprising of more than 30 outlets across South Wales complete with a team of over 400 members of staff. 

This is the third year that the business has enrolled staff on Chwarae Teg’s Agile Nation 2 career development programme, which is fully funded by the European Social Fund through Welsh Government.  It is a unique and inspirational initiative, helping working women develop knowledge, confidence and skills for team leading or managerial roles.

Ray Laidlaw, Training Manager, LBS Builders Merchants Ltd, said:

“I am extremely proud of our learners and how they have applied themselves to the career development programme. They have not only gained key leadership skills valued by us as an employer, but also developed their own confidence.

As a business we aim to provide excellence in customer service through the commitment and knowledge of all our staff, and working with Chwarae Teg helps us to do that.

While there isn’t a formal graduation this year, we have we created our own presentation to our learners to celebrate their achievements and give them the recognition they deserve.”

Margaret Edwards, Senior Delivery Partner, Chwarae Teg, said: “It’s been a pleasure working with LBS staff and fantastic to see them being congratulated on their achievements. As a business LBS demonstrates a clear commitment to ensuring female staff are able to prosper and become future leaders.

“We have a dedicated team at Chwarae Teg who provide expert coaching, mentoring and training designed to empower women to achieve their ambitions.” 

If you are an employer, also interested in maximising the potential of female staff, you can find out more at https://chwaraeteg.com/projects/an2-womens-career-development-programme/. Enquires are also welcome via AN2@chwaraeteg.com or 0300 365 0445.