<b><b>In July NHBC launched its training consultancy service for housebuilders. Kirsten Bunch of NHBC looks at the how the service works</b></b><br><b>Education, education, education. Tony Blair's mantra for schools applies equally to the business sector. The message is simple - learn, grow and improve. For business the bottom line is that good staff development will contribute to better practice, improved margins and decreased costs. But what happens if you do not have dedicated training experts on your books? The answer may well be NHBC's new training consultancy for housebuilders. </b><br><b><b>Training agenda</b></b><br> As the skills shortage continues to bite, training is moving further up the agenda. It is becoming increasingly difficult to work with the traditional &amp;"hire and fire&amp;" attitude. Staff turnover in the housebuilding industry has, in some instances, approached the high levels of the notoriously fickle hotel and catering sector where 70% annual turnover is not unusual. <p></p><p><b><br> <br> <b>Benefits of training</b></b><br><b>&amp;• Improve quality of work</b><br>&amp;• Better productivity</p><p> &amp;• Enhanced reputation</p><p> &amp;• Fewer customer complaints</p><p> &amp;• Decrease absenteeism</p><p> &amp;• High staff retention, loyalty and goodwill</p><p> &amp;• Attract more and better job applicants</p><p>The result is that an increasing number of companies are taking a long-term view of staff development - considering …