Virgin Trains’ Crewe-based Learning and Development team has beaten off stiff competition to scoop a prestigious National Training Awards 2011 West Midlands award for its Coaching Culture programme.

The award recognises and celebrates the success of Investors in People-accredited employers that have delivered exceptional business benefits to their organisation through meeting the training needs of their staff across the West Midlands. Virgin Trains is also the first Train Operating Company in the UK to achieve the highest level in the IIP framework – Gold Status.

Patrick McGrath, HR Director at Virgin Trains, says: “Our managers are now better skilled to support the frontline teams to challenge, to take on more responsibility to come with and drive forward new ideas. This has been reflected in the improvements in measures such as the staff survey, increases in revenue and reduction in costs – all of which are key to our organisational strategy.”

Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister John Haynes said: “The National Training Award winners show that firms that invest in workforce skills gain real dividends . Not only are their employees more motivated because they are happier in their work, but they reap the benefits of productivity, profitability and competitiveness.”

Virgin Trains will now compete against other organisations from across the country to claim the coveted Winner of the Year accolade at the National Training Awards 25th Ceremony, which takes place on 5 October in London.

City.Mobi

Also in Europe today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to London.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

London.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.