Introduction
I am the Commercial Manager at Oliver Ashworth, a specialist distributor of
commercial heating, plumbing and drainage solutions. The business has over 100
years of industry history and operates from four large distribution hubs across the
UK.
We support a wide range of customers covering Commercial Heating, plumbing &
drainage solutions to the Building Services, Industrial, Data Centre markets. Over the years, the business has contributed to major and prestigious projects.
Personally, I have worked within the industry for over 38 years and have experience
across almost every operational area of the sector, from warehouse operations
through to senior leadership and business management. I am also Chartered Institute of Marketing trained, which has given me a strong understanding of branding, communication and customer engagement.
A major focus for me throughout my career has always been staff development and knowledge sharing. I strongly believe that investing in people benefits both the individual and the wider organisation.
Question 1 – What challenges was your organisation facing before engaging with NTG Training?
One of our biggest challenges was ensuring that the knowledge and experience
within the business could be passed on effectively to the next generation of
employees.
We recognised that the business needed to strengthen its digital marketing
capability, improve website management and develop better analytics and
reporting processes. At the time, we had limited insight into website
performance, customer engagement or marketing effectiveness.
As the business continued to grow, we also identified the need for dedicated
roles focused on digital content, marketing support and customer engagement.
We wanted employees who could not only support the day-to-day activity of the
business but also help modernise and improve the way we communicated
internally and externally.
Question 2 – What training or programme did your employees complete, and why did you choose this?
Our employees completed Multi Channel Marketing and Content Creation
apprenticeship programmes through NTG Training.
We selected these programmes because they aligned closely with the direction
the business was moving in, particularly around website development, digital communications, branding and customer engagement.
One of the key reasons we chose NTG Training was the personalised and flexible approach to delivery. The learning was tailored specifically to our business, our industry and the real projects our employees were working on, rather than using generic examples that would have been less relevant.
The ability to adapt modules and move learning topics around to support Business priorities was also extremely valuable. For example, analytics training was brought forward so the team could begin using Google Analytics earlier when the website launched.
Question 3
What improvements or changes have you seen in your team since completing the training?
The improvement in the team has been extremely positive and noticeable
across the business.
We have seen:
Increased confidence and professionalism Better communication and presentation skills Greater attention to detail Stronger initiative and problem-solving Improved creativity and content quality Better understanding of branding and audience engagement More effective reporting and analytical capabilities
The team now asks more strategic questions, challenges ideas constructively
and approaches tasks with a much stronger understanding of purpose and
outcomes.
The business has also benefited from higher quality of digital content, stronger
brand consistency and significantly improved reporting processes.
Importantly, other employees across the organisation now regularly approach the team for advice and support, demonstrating the credibility and trust they have built within the business.
Question 4 – Can you provide any measurable impact or examples?
The organisation now has far more robust reporting and analytical capabilities
than before the training.
We can now: Track website traffic and user behaviour Monitor engagement levels and retention Analyse traffic sources and regional activity Measure customer engagement with campaigns and events Compare performance month-on-month and year-on-year
The business has also introduced new customer engagement initiatives,
improved marketing communications and developed stronger internal
communication processes through newsletters and digital content.
Additionally, the improved analytics now help identify opportunities across
different regions of the business and support more informed commercial
decisions.
Question 5 – Would you recommend NTG Training to other organisations, and why?
Absolutely. NTG Training provided a highly supportive, flexible and
business-focused learning experience that genuinely added value to both our
employees and the organisation.
The team for advice and support, demonstrating the credibility and trust they
have built within the business.
The tutors were approachable, knowledgeable and able to adapt the learning
around our business needs, which made a significant difference to engagement
and retention of knowledge. The programmes never felt generic — everything
was applied directly to real projects and business objectives.
The apprenticeship model also allowed employees to develop meaningful
practical skills while continuing to contribute within the workplace, which
created immediate benefits for the business.
The experience has been so successful that we are now looking at introducing
apprenticeships into additional departments across the organisation to
continue developing future talent and supporting long-term business growth.
