Staff at a Bristol windscreen company will be taking advantage of a Government-backed training scheme.

National Mobile Windscreens in St Philips Road is the largest privately owned glass replacement company in the UK, employing more than 330 people.

Last year they were shortlisted in the Post Business Awards for their own staff training credentials.

Now the management team has volunteered for the Skills for Life scheme to help raise the general level of skills and ability throughout the company.

Sales and marketing director Martyn Bennett and operations managers Adrian Anson, Pete Allan, Cyril Getlevog, Alan Mealing and Martin Golding, are the first to undertake the self-improvement course. Each will have their level of basic abilities assessed, including literacy and numeracy, and then undertake a training programme over four days to raise the level of any skills requiring improvement.

The six-hour daily training sessions will culminate in a strictly controlled final exam and a certificate for those who pass.

They will also have homework set which must be completed before the next training day.

The training will be carried out in-house by City of Bristol College literacy tutor Sarah Jones and numeracy tutor Geoff Stevens.

Mr Bennett said: "As a company we are committed to staff training and the objective of the new Skills for Life initiative is to help raise standards in basic skills, from reading and writing, to maths for all staff. This is just the beginning and the aim is to cascade the training throughout the company.

"This will allow staff to achieve their potential at work and within their community to help build a vibrant and prosperous economy.

"Something will be learned by all those who take part in the Skills for Life programme no matter what level they start at."