Gatting praises GCB's Investors in People award

Former England captain Mike Gatting has congratulated the GCB on

achieving the Investors in People Standard for staff development and training.

The Board is the first organisation of its type to be awarded the

mark, which is given to businesses who go the extra mile to look after their

employees.

Mike, who is now managing director of cricket partnerships

at the ECB said: "Being awarded the Investors In People mark is a fantastic

achievement for the GCB. As the first county board to achieve this, it has set

the standard for the way our boards and clubs support their staff and I hope

others will follow in its footsteps"

The GCB currently has seven full-time employees and more than 50

part-time and casual workers ranging from coaches to tutors and administrative

staff. During the accreditation process Investors In People specialist Dave

Peglar highlighted a number of strengths including a committed approach to

staff development, use of external coaches and clear aims, values and strategic

goals.

Mike said: "Employing a mixture of full, part-time and

freelance staff across a variety of areas, our boards face a challenge to

integrate and motivate their workforce and it is particularly pleasing to see

the GCB being singled out for its leadership, teamwork and  a shared commitment to achieving its goals"

 "Over the last few

years the GCB has gone from strength to strength and has led the way on a

number of different projects and it is great to see them continuing to do so.

They can feel rightly proud of what has been achieved."

Since its inception in the late 1980s more than 22,000 businesses

in the UK have received the Investors In People Standard. The accreditation is

awarded to well-run organisations which demonstrate good management practice

with a high emphasis on developing and supporting their staff. The standard

also encourages growth, profitability and efficiency.