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Theatre helps Whitefriars to award success

Whitefriars Housing Group has won a National Training Award for a culture change and customer service training programme.

Judy Ryder, director of organisational development at the not-for-profit housing and regeneration organisation, said: "We are delighted to win a National Training Award shortly after winning the Investors in People Outstanding Good Practice Award. It’s fantastic that Whitefriars has been recognised for its training expertise and customer service".

The training programme included theatre workshops, delivered by Oddsocks Productions, which saw staff face scenarios on a range of equality and diversity issues. After each scene the audience discussed what they had seen and worked out what they wanted to change.

"Forum theatre has proved a very flexible medium," said Judy Ryder. "First of all most people hate role play so we don’t use it. We have developed and presented extreme scenarios, which are guaranteed to provoke a response."

Commenting on the National Training Awards, Dr Graeme Hall, chief executive of UK Skills said: "The quality common to all winners is that they demonstrate significant benefits from exceptionally effective learning and skills development. Winners show, not only good people development, but also the outstanding results gained by putting what has been learnt into practice.

"Whitefriars Housing Group has undertaken some truly exceptional training, earning them a National Training Award. This training has engendered a cultural change that really is working and making a real impact on individuals, clients and the business. I would like to offer them my sincerest congratulations."

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