KPMG has joined the growing list of Bermuda companies to receive an Investors In People (IiP) accreditation in recognition of the training and development of its staff.

The accountancy firm held a presentation at its offices in Par-la-Ville Road yesterday, with Jason Carne, the partner in charge of the IiP process, and Neil Patterson, managing partner, receiving the award from Labour, Home Affairs and Housing Minister David Burch. The Ministry's Permanent Secretary Derrick Binns and Bermuda Government IiP representative Jocene Wade were also on hand the special ceremony.

Mr. Carne said the internationally recognised accreditation was a perfect fit with the firm's key strategic objective to be an 'Employer of Choice'.

"A few short years ago, KPMG was looking for something that could add tangible value to employees in what was an extremely tight labour market," he said.

"We wanted something that would fit in with our strategic objective of being Employer of Choice among the other Big Four accounting firms.

"While at the same time, providing us with a framework to allow our staff across all levels, to reach their full potential. After extensive research we decided to pursue the Investors in People accreditation."

KPMG, which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary, delayed its programme in order to achieve accreditation under the new, higher standards set by the IiP, with management believing that it is better able to recruit and retain the best people and thus have a competitive advantage in the market place by raising the bar and setting higher standards of accountability.

Mr. Carne said the accreditation process involved looking at the goals of the business and setting the goals of the employees to align with them, focusing on key areas such as communication through bi-annual town hall style meetings and 360 feedback.

He revealed that an external consultant had worked with the firm for two to three years sharing best practices, followed by a 'dry run' assessment and a full assessment, with assessors from the UK coming over for one week to look at the process.

Since then, KPMG has hired a full-time dedicated training manager to work on writing, presentation and communication skills, helping to set personal development plans with goals for next year.

"Investors in People has sharpened our focus on training and development so that it is now aligned with the needs of our business; while also empowering staff to develop personally and excel overall," he said.

"I think it has been paying off and has enhanced the performance of the business.

"The current tough environment does provide new client opportunities for us and the better we can train and retain people, the more opportunities there are for us in the marketplace."