Acumen Academy

The Acumen Academy is a comprehensive employee training and development programme.

Acumen recognise the importance of having a well-run training and development programme for all employees, it helps us to attract and retain talented individuals and help to cultivate an efficient workplace.

Our commitment is recognised and monitored through our Investors in People (IIP) accreditation. We strive to ensure that all members of staff have the skills, knowledge and qualifications to provide the leadership, motivation and monitoring required to deliver the quality of services required for all customers. By gaining IIP accreditation, the business is justifiably proud of the commitment and recognition of all its employees.

The Acumen Academy is not only a benefit to potential employees but helps to naturally find colleagues within the business who value growth, further education and long-term commitment to Acumen and their own career.

In addition to the Acumen Academy boosting employee engagement, training and personal development is put in place to enhance overall workplace competency, culture and care we have for each other and the customers we service. Within the individual programmes, employees learn both the hard and soft skills required to ensure smooth running of our daily business activities and can identify specific individual employee support where needed.

The Acumen Academy begins with an individual one to one feedback session where targets and objectives are discussed, and an outlined plan put in place. Following this there are scheduled updates and feedback sessions to ensure the programme is relevant and developed. This may include on/off site visits, customer meetings, contribution of specific team projects or dedicated training sessions and annual compliance workshops.

Everyone holds their own Acumen Academy Records which details the development matrix and all supporting evidence. This is reviewed in line with the initial skills feedback sessions but also annually during Annual Development Plans.

Key features of our Acumen Academy are the in house, hands on training that is available, including;

Mentoring Schemes: Matches made with more experienced team members, which gives them somebody to support them whilst also demonstrating to mentors that the business values their own commitment and valued knowledge.
Shadowing Days: Members of various teams spending “a day in the life of” with other members of internal staff/drivers/external team members and on site crews where possible. Each shadowing day is followed up by a feedback form so that the business can assess if everyone feels the training was relevant and appropriate to their job.
Cross training: Acumen actively promotes fluid information and knowledge between each department, it is vital that we offer our customers the best solutions possible across our group business.
CSR: The Acumen Academy is vital our Corporate Social Responsibility aims and objectives, active engagement is the key to its success. This includes participating in cross training presentations, local community works, guest speaker engagement.

Acumen is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of gender, gender identity, race, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

Vacancies:

Most of our opportunities for skilled positions are shown on the Current Vacancies page and circulated widely on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Speculative applications can be made to hr@acumenwaste.co.uk please include your CV together with a covering note of your preferred job role.

Apprentices:

Working with a local provider, we have achieved real success with our apprentice scheme and continue to offer apprentice positions across suitable sectors of the business. All our apprentices are paid fairly under a contract of employment; given defined role/s that allow them to develop workplace knowledge, skills and behaviour; and are afforded time off to complete their formal training.

Graduates:

We operate a graduate management training scheme and select graduates who can demonstrate success in a related discipline eg. chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering, law or finance. As highly competent and capable individuals, we provide the opportunity for graduates to gain more responsibility early on, getting to know our business inside out so that you can demonstrate your commercial awareness, communication skills, teamwork and other things.

Feedback We Have Received:

Did you enjoy the visit to the site and what information did you draw from the visit?

“…I enjoyed learning from the visit as I could see the process happening from being mixed waste to segregation and then wrapping. I also enjoyed meeting the staff at the site whom I speak to on a regular basis enabling me to put a face to the voice. The team were very friendly and put themselves out to welcome us and show us around their site… “

“…thank you for giving me the opportunity to go and visit the waste transfer station, I feel my knowledge develops in leaps and bounds with each visit. It is definitely helping me to provide a better service to our customers…”