Deegee was the proud sponsor of a Basic First Aid Training course recently, run by the Diocese of Derby.

Hosted by St. George & St. Mary’s Church, Church Gresley, deegee sent 2 employees for refresher and 3 for beginner First Aid training.  The remaining 12 places were offered to the leaders of the Children’s and Young People’s groups associated with the church.

The course was delivered in a hands-on way, employing a special combination of humour and gravity for what could have been a quite onerous experience.  After bandaging each other up in appropriate fashion and demonstrating our resuscitation skills on “Resusci-Annie”, the trainer advised that everyone had successfully passed.

The Basic First Aid Training course is recognised by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), and as well as being a great enhancement to the deegee skill-set, may also equip those trained to help save a life one day, in work or out.

The deegee team have always been keen to undertake training and new experiences, and Office Manager Lisa Baum leads by example. 

A 2 day Change Management course set in a beautiful location in Middle Aston, Oxfordshire took Lisa and 8 other delegates from various backgrounds through a detailed explanation of the change process within an organisation, and the best way to manage these changes.  

“Practical outdoor tasks which involved planning, strategic thinking, and crucially communication were great fun and a very useful learning tool.  We had no option but to get stuck in, as you can see from the glamorous head-gear!!   I feel the overall experience has been very beneficial to me,” said Lisa.  “By making me aware of the importance of thorough planning, in addition to maintaining good channels of communication throughout, and taking these into account, future changes will be smoother and more structured transitions.”

Closing with an open forum session which allowed all delegates to discuss issues or incidents that they have experienced within their organisation during the change process, the course remained thoroughly relevant to the real-life situations of the attendees.

D.G. Controls Ltd has been ISO certified for over 16 years, originally compliant with the BS5750 QMS, which subsequently became ISO 9000:1994 and then ISO 9001:2000, which had been released in 2000.
ISO 9001:2008 is highly respected around the world as the most wide-reaching and influential set of standards of quality management systems and practices, and clarifies the existing requirements of the previous standard, ISO 9001:2000.

Wendy Whiten, Operations Director stated that “The Quality Management System is integrated into all activities which take place at D.G. Controls Ltd, and as such forms an essential indicator of business success and achievement for the organisation. Achievement of ISO 9001:2008 is testament to the Company’s investment and commitment to improved customer satisfaction, staff motivation and training, and continuous business improvement. I am so pleased for the Company’s employees that this certification has been awarded, as every individual knows their contribution to its success.”

The new Certificate will be issued by UL over the next few weeks, and be available for download on our website as soon as it is received.

After evaluating a number of supervisory courses, deegee chose the ILM course as it was important to develop and challenge Lisa to go further in her career, rather than just recognise where she already is, as qualifications such as the NVQ can tend to do.  It is essential particularly in a small company that individuals are as widely-skilled as they can be, and this was especially important for Lisa as she took a more senior supervisory position.

The training was delivered by a tutor, but in a group setting.  This allowed Lisa to get one-to-one input from the tutor, whilst sharing knowledge and experience with the other candidates.  Key topic areas included Management of Change, Time-Management, and Motivation, Coaching & Development of team members.

And the benefits are already being felt by Lisa and by the business.  As Lisa said, “I have become a lot more confident and assertive in my role, allowing me to delegate and manage the team more effectively, ensuring that the Sales Team as a whole runs more efficiently.”

To this end, an opportunity to add to the sales team at D. G. Controls has meant that Liz Hawes is now our Sales Administrator. Liz has worked in the production team for 3 years and so knows the deegee products well; she brings into the sales team an understanding of the day-to-day issues facing a production and dispatch operation, which in turn helps the sales team to appreciate the types of opportunities and deadlines which need to be addressed.

If you phone into D. G. Controls, it’ll probably be Liz that you speak to first, and as she develops in her new role, it’ll be Liz who will contact you about your orders, new products, etc.

Please join with us in congratulating Liz on her new position.

Working on site-based assignments, and assessed by Pat Lowery of Derby College, Ann Toone and Gail Grant achieved passes at NVQ Level 2 Performing Manufacturing Operations, and Lynn Beresford achieved a pass at NVQ Level 2 Distribution, Warehousing and Storage Operations.

The company was delighted to be able to support these individuals in achieving formal recognition of their role, and we congratulate them all for their well-earned achievements. We are also grateful to Derby College for assisting with funding for these qualifications, said Jon Whiten, Managing Director of D.G. Controls Ltd.

The company formally presented the team with their Certificates at D.G. Controls, Cadley Hill Road on Tuesday 6th September 2005.

Photographed, from left to right, Gail Grant, Pat Lowery (Derby College), Lynn Beresford, Ann Toone and Wendy Whiten (Operations Director).