A construction company has opened a state-of-the-art training centre.

Rok has set itself the target of being "the best employer in the industry".

The new facility is at its administrative headquarters in Gatwick Road, Crawley.

The group, which has branches in Brighton and Eastbourne and 32 others across the UK, has dubbed the centre The School of Rok after the hit comedy film.

But the focus will be on raising standards rather than learning how to play the first chords of Stairway To Heaven.

The School of Rok mirrors the company's futuristic offices and provides a flexible space which can work as one theatre or smaller workshop areas.

The centre will offer a raft of courses including Taste of Rok, the company's three-day induction programme, and leadership and management seminars.

Rok chief executive Garvis Snook, who opened the centre, said it would be the first of many as the group continued to open branches across the UK.

Rok's people team representative Sue Flavin said: "What is so thrilling about the new school is that it offers all that and so much more. Rather than using an anonymous hotel space, we can train staff in true Rok style in the kind of environment we believe reflects us best as a business."

The first course was for 126 members of staff who wanted to improve their leadership skills.

Last year the company, whose clients include BAA and Royal & SunAlliance, jumped 27 places to 71 in the Sunday Times's 100 Best Companies To Work For list.

Rok was formed in 1939 to carry out war work. In 2002 it bought Eastbourne-based Llewellyn for £16.25 million.

It went public in 1989 and in March this year announced record results with pre-tax profits of £16.1 million on sales of £555.8 million.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006