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James Pepper lands Vista directorship after Acorn training
Training can make all the difference to employment prospects - even at the highest level - as James Pepper can testify after being made a company director at Vista Retail Support. James had recently completed the NVQ4 Management Training with Acorn and was quick to acknowledge the part this had played in his appointment.
Vista Retail Support was formed in 1997 to install and maintain electronic point of sale (EPOS) equipment for retailers in the UK, Europe, America and around the world which it also supports around the clock, 365 days a year, through a call centre.
The growing company now employs 164 people across the UK – more than 50 in its Cardiff headquarters – and clients include pubs, clubs, food outlets and leading retail brands such as Midlands Co-op, Lloyds pharmacy, Londis, Dunelm and Spar.
James had held a number of roles at Vista including Test and Repair Manager and Operations Manager until, in March this year he was made Operations Director.
“The things I learned while working on the NVQ put me in the position where I could be considered for a senior management role,” said James.
“It taught me to be more analytical, logical and have a scientific approach to what I was doing and also to focus on what I was trying to achieve.
“The NVQ4 management takes around two years to complete and I admit I was quite sceptical at first. I’ve seen the NVQ model being delivered before and I haven’t always been impressed but the way it was delivered by the team at Acorn was excellent. They’d been recommended to me by someone at Cardiff Business School who’d told me the NVQ4 Management was a well-put-together qualification that would set me up to do a Business Masters if I wanted to.
“I also had three or four different experts mentoring me via Acorn and they really made a huge difference. I was properly and thoroughly tested throughout and at final submission of my work evidence and case study.
“Initially there were only two of us from the company taking part in the NVQ4. Now we’ve got seven or eight senior managers that have either completed or are in the process of completing the qualification – largely because I was able to demonstrate just how useful these courses could be and how valuable they are to their careers and to Vista as a business.
“Even before I’d completed the course, one of my colleagues said that they’d noticed a big difference in me and the way I worked. I was aware of this myself. Acorn’s training really made a difference. I’d recommend it to anyone.”
Acorn’s Corporate Development Manager Ann Nicholas said: “As the Vista Account Manager in the Learning and Development team at Acorn, I am delighted with James' appointment. It demonstrates that the vocational training he received added real value to his performance and also contributed to a confidence in his own ability. Acorn has a flexible range of training solutions that can apply a real difference to learning in a practical way.”
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