Amanda Meldrum

Training and Development Officer, Trust Housing Association

Amanda is Training and Development Officer at Trust, a national Housing Association providing older people with access to 2400 homes throughout Scotland. With a strong background in HR and training, Amanda really enjoys seeing people learn, develop and attain a qualification. She also likes the reassurance that when staff are trained to higher standards, the company can provide a better service as a result.

In the past, Amanda has managed the provision of training services to professions as diverse as lawyers and electricians. Today, she is managing the training requirements of 500 staff at Trust who need to achieve a qualification in areas like Social Care and Health & Safety.

On a typical day, Amanda could be working on arranging or delivering a training course, or she could be in contact with a specialist trainer, trying to get information about venues and equipment available. She could also be talking to a candidate, trying to address their concerns or worries. Crucially though for Amanda, she enjoys being able to experience how much people grow in confidence about their capabilities through training and development and she says: “Most people are very positive about learning and I think that nowadays this is much higher on the government agenda. Now we are really encouraged to learn for life and I think that there are a lot of different opportunities to do so by attending training courses. People are more interested in their own personal and career development.”
When it comes to training, First Aid is certainly high on the list of priorities at Trust. The company needs to ensure that carers are trained to cope with any situation, as they are often dealing with vulnerable groups of people. When Amanda joined Trust she had no reservations in recommending St Andrew’s First Aid. She had been using them in her previous roles and always felt the quality and value of the service she received to be excellent. St Andrew’s offering closely met the training requirements at Trust and Amanda found that staff are not only professional and helpful, but also very accommodating.

She says: “My relationship with St Andrew’s is seamless, they know me, I know them and my requests are met promptly and timeously. The staff that attend the training courses find St Andrew’s trainers to be very approachable and professional, and quickly put them at their ease. They feel like they have learned something and have more confidence to respond in an emergency. St Andrew’s are truly a trusted partner.”