A NEW training academy has been opened by Basingstoke MP Maria Miller.

Gist Peoples Services has set up the centre at Elmwood on Chineham Business Park, offering NVQ qualifi cations in business administration, customer service, IT and manage ment and team leading, along with Skills for Life qualifications in numeracy and literacy. Mrs Miller spoke of the importance of training in Basingstoke.

She said: “The more that we can give people access to the training and skills that they need, the better the opportu nity there is for employment at a time, where even Basingstoke has seen unemployment rise. I think you are providing a really valuable service.”

As part of The Linde Group, Gist is a leading UK supply chain company, and has already become the largest learndirect training provider nation ally for the logistics sector.

It has been recognised by a number of industry awards, including best National Large Employer in the learndirect achievement awards 2009, the Motor Transport Award for train ing and the British International Freight Association’s award for staff development.

Gist HR director Mike Bousfield spoke of working with learndirect.

“We’ve established a very solid and strong partnership and found the products they have to offer, and the attitudes they have to learning, to be absolutely in synch with what we do in our organisation in Gist.”

Mr Bousfield also praised the man aging director of MEPC Chineham Park, Rupert Batho.

“We put a proposition to Rupert, which we thought would help to dif ferentiate the business park, to create an added opportunity for people here – one that would also create a flexible learning opportunity for people in Basingstoke,” he added.

“Together we’ve managed to put together something that is absolutely excellent. This is a great opportunity for people in this community to learn in a different way and to roll out some skills in an environment that badly needs it.”