The Howbery Park business that’s growing by helping other businesses to work smarter

Training and development consultancy, Jewel Training, has taken on more space at Howbery Business Park as it expands to meet the needs of its growing client list.

Jewel Training was set up by its Managing Director, Julie Johns, a Communications Graduate, who previously worked as a Management Trainer for Tesco, and as a Management Consultant to Unipart, with whom the company continues to work today.

Having set itself the bold mission to ‘Develop Brilliance in People, Teams and Businesses’, Jewel Training applies leadership development, coaching and mentoring to make this happen, as well as organisational development, using tried and tested methods such as the Lean Office model to improve business processes.

Julie says: “We aim to practice what we preach, and apply the approaches we deliver to our customers in our own business.”

Originally developed by Toyota for its manufacturing plants, the Lean Office is about eliminating wasteful processes wherever you find them.

Julie explains: “Our office systems evolve over time, but we don’t often take the time to stop and look at whether some of the processes we have developed involve unnecessary layers or approvals, or even if our office space is laid out to help us to work effectively. When we applied lean principles to our own business, the benefit was immediate. We found we had more time to focus on essential tasks, and that provided a real boost to the business.”

Jewel Training also helps businesses to develop their people through accredited qualifications, including apprenticeships, which Julie believes currently play a vital role in helping companies in Oxfordshire to manage the skills shortage. “We recently took on Kyle, as our own Marketing Apprentice, and were thrilled when we were highly commended in the Best Apprenticeship Training Provider in the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards.”

Donna Bowles, Estates Manager for Howbery Business Park, said: “We are very pleased to be able to provide room for Jewel Training to expand on the park. It’s really good to see onsite businesses collaborating with one another, and Jewel Training is a great example of this, working closely with Group GTI, based in our Fountain Building, on their internal training and development.”

To find out more about Jewel Training, go to: www.jewel-training.co.uk