Training and development at Greenwood

At Greenwood, we recognise that the G Team are our most valuable asset. That’s why offering opportunities for growth and development within the team is essential to maximising the performance of the business. Supporting the G Team and offering everyone a chance to learn new skills, develop existing ones, and earn qualifications to further their career is one of our top priorities. From finance training, external courses, utility vehicle training, to apprenticeships and Marketing qualifications, Greenwood aims to champion those who have a willingness to learn and develop. One such example of this is our very own Liam Spencer, who works in our Sales team as an internal sales co-ordinator. On a day-to-day basis, Liam is responsible for expediting quotes and enquiries into orders, checking in regularly with clients to maintain and develop our relationships, and ensuring we are extracting the maximum amount of business from each of our clients.

Liam started at Greenwood in May 2023, initially working in more of a support role for the existing sales team, liaising with the tenders/orders team, and assisting our Client Development Manager, Wesley. Six months into his Greenwood tenure, Liam begun an apprenticeship with reputable sales and recruitment training company, Pareto UK. The course, a level 4 Sales Executive program, ran in tandem with Liam’s role in the team, allowing Liam to draw upon his experience in the real-life sales environment to aid his training. This included four case studies, amounting to 5000 words, discussing examples of different sales techniques which Liam has used during his role at Greenwood, demonstrating how he has implemented what he has learned on the course into real sales scenarios. He has already passed one assessment, and has one more coming up before he completes the course, in which he has a professional discussion with the assessors about his job role, and how he approaches time management, dealing with internal and external stakeholders, and more. Overall, Liam has found the course to be extremely useful to his role at Greenwood. He said “It’s really helped me advance in my role by implementing what I’ve learned and therefore being able to have much more professional discussions with clients. It also gives you the confidence when talking to clients.”

The door is always open at Greenwood for the G Team to undertake new training roles and embark on courses to earn qualification to further your career with us. One of our key management principles is to ensure each employee is offered the opportunity to undertake any training relevant to their role. Alternatively, if an employee would like to request a training opportunity, they can do so via their line manager.

In addition to Liam’s apprenticeship, several other members of the G Team are also currently undertaking training. 3MAC, otherwise known as the Three Month Accounting Course, is a course developed by real accountants, aimed at training non-accounting employees in the world of accounting for business. The course was offered to members of the office team, with the goal of developing their understanding of the way in which the financial infrastructure of the company works, allowing them to be able to make informed decisions with a better context of the financial implications. The course covers everything from Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), understanding profit and loss statements, balance sheets, projecting cashflow, and so much more. Whilst the course only takes 3 months to complete, it will provide the team with skills that will take the team through their career at Greenwood for years to come.

At Greenwood, growth is one of our core values, and offering the chance for the G Team to grow and develop is as important to the business as the growth of the plants on our nursery, and when it comes to the G Team, Every Plant Matters!