ZSL London Zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), an international scientific, conservation and educational charity which was founded in 1826.
Human Resources Manager, Karen Turnbull, was keen to raise the general standard of qualifications and skills among staff so visitors get a consistently high standard of customer service when they visit the Zoo.
She said, “Staff working in customer-facing roles such as the shop, admissions, car park and restaurant are the public face of the Zoo. It’s really important they have the best possible training so they can do these jobs to a high standard and add value to the business. It’s also important to us that staff have the opportunity to develop themselves in their roles.”
A Train to Gain skills broker carried out a free skills assessment for the charity and, with Karen, drew up a training plan based on the organisation’s goals for the coming year.
Eight staff working in retail and admissions, catering and the Zoo’s security departments signed up to do Customer Service NVQs covering key skills such as communication, time management and personal organisation. Six other staff are studying team leading, business administration and retail. |
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The vocational training means that staff at ZSL London Zoo are better equipped to provide a professional and efficient welcome to the public.
Staff are also gaining skills and training relevant to their jobs, which has given them the opportunity to develop their roles and boosted staff morale.
“Although it’s early days yet, I can see already that the training programme is highlighting key areas for us where we need to improve, and giving us a structure to help make those improvements. Feedback from staff has been very positive,” said Karen. |
