Cordia, the company set up to manage Glasgow City Council's direct and care service, is celebrating after securing more than £275,000 of new training contracts in the first six weeks it was established.
The new LLP's Learning and Development Centre (LDC), based in Springburn, will provide training, including first aid, health and safety, and moving and handling courses, to the following:
- Clyde Valley Consortium
- Glasgow City Council Social Work Services (moving and handling and food safety)
- Royal National Institute for the Blind (moving and handling)
- Glasgow community health and care partnerships (health and safety)
- Various private care homes and agencies (various)
Frances McMeeking, Cordia's head of corporate procurement and customer services, says the new business is a reflection on the quality of her staff and the wide range of training services Cordia is now able to offer.
She said:"In the preparation of moving towards Cordia, LDC actively began to source opportunities of providing training in the commercial market.
"The result is these new contracts which is very positive news and is really down to Cordia and LDC using its existing workforce who are becoming more and more multi-skilled in the delivery of training.
"Among these we have successfully secures a £100,000+ first aid contract with the Clyde Valley Consortium, which has been an excellent contract for us to develop our skills in the open market.
"Through networking, LDC developed a link with RNIB and we are now delivering moving and handling training for them, with a view to include first aid in the future.
"Other areas where we have seen a growth in business is with private care homes and agencies within the disciplines of moving and handling personal care, general inductions and SVQ health and social care."
Created on April 1 this year, Cordia is the latest and, by some way, the largest of Glasgow City Council's arm's length external organisations (ALEO), with a staff of almost 9,000. LDC has a workforce of 30.
Cordia managing director, Fergus Chambers, said: "We are delighted to announce these new contracts which underline the business potential of the new company.
"We now have a huge opportunity to develop Cordia, including opportunity for growth in service delivery out with Glasgow, as this host of new business picked up by LDC has demonstrated."