Napier-based food manufacturer Goodtime Foods has a proud history of producing quality baked goods, supplying pies and more to retail outlets all over New Zealand. Now with a large new contract under their belt, the company is gearing-up to deliver by engaging their staff in industry-based training.
Last year it was announced that Goodtime Foods had won the exclusive contract to supply pies and other specially baked goods to Z service station outlets nationwide.
“The Z contract presented a huge opportunity to grow our business, and we were determined to beat out the competition from both New Zealand and Australia,” says product and purchasing manager Paul Barber.
“We knew we had the quality of product and the people with the skills to deliver on the contract, and to be awarded it was a major boost for us and for this region.”
In preparation for the increased production workload, Goodtime has already added 12 new staff to form their now 51-strong team in Napier, and will soon be producing enough mouth-watering pies and other tasty treats to stock 216 Z stores nationwide all day, every day.
“Upskilling our people to nationally-recognised standards is an important part of our plan, and we’re pleased to be working with industry training organisation Competenz, to help meet our business objectives.”
Training is certainly not new to Goodtime Foods.
The company uses a series of in-house ‘units’ developed over a number of years to induct their staff, deliver necessary health and safety training, and make sure key skills and knowledge for the correct preparation and handling of food products are imparted to staff.
In late 2010, Competenz and Goodtime began looking at their in-house training to see how it might translate to an NZQA-approved national certificate for staff to achieve, certifying their skills to a national standard for the food manufacturing industry.
Competenz mapped Goodtime’s training to all the competencies needed to achieve the Level 2 National Certificate in Food and Related Products Processing qualification endorsed by industry.
“Having Competenz support to get started was great – and our team now has the chance to achieve a qualification that supports their careers well beyond Goodtime Foods,” says Mr Barber.
“We see engaging staff in industry training as an integral part of our business growth and improvement strategies.”
Goodtime’s managing director, Phil Pollett, knows from experience that staff training is a must for any company to lift productivity.
“We want it to be the norm for our entire workforce to be fully-trained, confident, and competent in the skills they need to do their jobs well, and to enjoy their work,” he says.
“We already have a low staff turnover rate, and upskilling our whole team will help us to grow productivity, staff innovation, and job satisfaction even further.”
Speaking with their employees, it’s clear they have significant skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm for learning that will all work in Goodtime’s favour for continued business success.
“Making our teams’ skills transferable through the achievement of a nationally-recognised qualification is good for industry as a whole, and it gives us a head-start on preparation for future business opportunities,” says Mr Barber.
So if you happen to pull into a Z service station to refuel, grab a pie or two to enjoy – and think of the team at Goodtime Foods putting their passion and skills into every last bite.
