National Timber Group launches Scottish management development initiative

NATIONAL Timber Group (NTG) has announced the launch of a new management development programme to boost career paths within the group’s companies in Scotland.

 The first cohort of 10 aspiring managers are from all over Scotland, working in operations, internal and external sales, as assistant branch managers, and in business support roles.

NTG said that over the next six months, the programme will provide professional and personal development through a mix of in-house workshops and residential development days created with JAMES Learning and Development Ltd. Time will also be spent on the road with NTG’s business support team shadowing their activities in branches.

Irene Robertson, business development director NTG Scotland, said, “Investing in the development of our people is key to everything we do at NTG. Our selection process for the programme was face to face so we could properly gauge level of interest and desire to manage people in our organisation.

“The senior management team are involved in the workshops. We’ll be sharing knowledge on key topics from pricing to stock management, and supporting some personal development on personal brand, communication skills and change management. In other words, all the things we wish we had been told about when we started our careers!

“It’s going to be exciting to see our colleagues flourish over the next six months.”

Nick Ratcliffe, MD of NTG Scotland, added, “Developing our people to suit our business ensures we have a robust succession plan which will enable NTG to continue going from strength to strength. The programme is a fast-track to understanding the business inside out, which is invaluable for becoming an NTG manager.”