A WELL-established training provider believes its staff are “fundamental” to its success and deserve to be paid the Scottish Living Wage.

Tigers was established in 2001 when there was a gap in the market for quality and relevant training programmes with a professional delivery and, since then, the number of employees has grown from three to a team of 34.

Tigers now assists, supports and directs high numbers of learners into the world of work and holds contracts with Skills Development Scotland as well as delivering Continuous Professional Development courses to the construction, early years and business administration industries.

Along with the growing number of staff, Tigers has developed a culture of forging success through relationships, according to Operations Director Pauline Scott.

Two years ago, Tigers conducted a consultation exercise on its Rewards and Recognition Policy to ensure it fitted the needs of its staff and, as a result, began to look at the pay structure within the company.

“Our decision to do this was based on our belief that our people are fundamental to our success and if they feel valued it will have a positive impact on our learners,” said Scott.

As part of Tigers’ Employee Wellness Programme, they recognise the negative reaction associated with stress and its implications on individuals and performance.

“We believe that if our people are free from the stress that is associated with low income this will transcend into their relationships with each other and our learners,” said Scott.

“By implementing the Scottish Living Wage, we have developed a dedicated and committed team who are passionate and enthusiastic about meeting Tigers’ vision of supporting all our learners to meet their potential.

“Our absenteeism is low and over one-third of our staff have more than five years’ service which pays testament to our relationship-led practice culture and rewards package.”

Due to expansion, Tigers recently recruited additional trainers to facilitate the delivery of Employability Fund and Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks through a Valued Based Recruitment approach (VBR).

“The successful implementation of VBR enabled us to align our company values and ethos to our recruitment and selection process to recruit new employees who share similar values,” said Julie Dey, HR advisor.

One of Tigers’ visions for the future is to become an Employer of Choice and the company believes that rewarding people by paying the Scottish Living Wage as a base-line salary will assist in this aim.

“Through growth we are aligning our partnerships with companies who share similar values in regard to fair pay for all,” said Scott.

“Many of our learners progress to a Modern Apprenticeship which can often be undervalued in terms of pay but Modern Apprenticeships should be rewarding not only for the company who hires them but also the learner who should be earning an acceptable wage throughout their qualification and beyond.”

The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £8.75 per hour. The figure is calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in the UK. The accreditation programme in Scotland launched in April 2014.