Preston-based recycling group launches new training centre

The former Golden Hill recycling site on Braconash Road, Leyland, has been converted into the Terry Jackson Academy, a training centre for the group’s 500 staff, with inductions of staff and training and development activities set to begin in March.

The new centre, named after one of the group’s founders, has facilities for training employees in the use of cranes, weighbridges and other equipment located at the site as well as specialised equipment to demonstrate depollution processes for end-of-life petrol, diesel and electric vehicles.

It has virtual reality and AV resources to show the various processes and operations employed by the company and will serve the group’s 18 locations across the UK.

Staff training will include management development, induction, specific vocational and life-skill based courses, and sustainability modules.

It will also induct and upskill ex-offenders working with the business as part of the long-standing engagement with the justice system that is central to the company’s commitment to delivering social value, alongside its work with the Recycling Lives Charity.

Katherine Fletcher, the Conservative MP for South Ribble, visited the new Recycling Lives Terry Jackson Academy prior to its official opening next month and saw some of the specialist equipment used by the company for recycling metals and depolluting end-of-life vehicles.

She said: "The new academy on the historic site will be a great addition to our town; the facility will boost skills in our area and drive forward innovation. It is fantastic to see Terry Jackson’s legacy kept alive."

The company has developed a ground-breaking process for generating energy using hard-to-recycle automotive shredder residue (ASR) as fuel.

Recycling Lives’ head of human resources Angeline Betts-Derbyshire said the availability of dedicated facilities in Leyland would take training and professional development in the company to a new level.

She said: “Expansion of the company has highlighted the need for comprehensive uplift of training, offering the opportunity to develop our existing staff and enable them to progress their careers within the business.

“It will also assist the work we undertake through our Academy workshops within prisons and Release on Temporary Licence employment schemes, providing dedicated facilities for induction and training.

“The new centre enables us to take training out of the active operational sites where appropriate, and blend classroom-based activity with more practical hands-on experience.”

Recycling Lives’ CEO Gerry Marshall said: “As the business continues to grow with new investment in resources, it is more important than ever that we also invest in the people we employ and those who are joining our company, to create a skilled and sustainable workforce that can share our success.

“We are passionate about helping to raise the skill levels across schools and colleges, and within the justice system & disadvantaged groups to help them find meaningful sustainable employment, which in turn provides positive social economic impact."