North's one-stop training shop. (Advertisement).

Having established themselves as a premiere destination for AZ driver training, the Northern Academy of Transportation Training (NATT) has launched a corporate training division to offer a full complement of courses for industrial and commercial sectors.

"We're announcing a new branch of our company that is dedicated strictly to providing third-party training, says Darren Kleven, NATT trainer.

The firm, based in Lively in the City of Greater Sudbury, prides itself on turning out skilled, professional AZ drivers, and has earned a reputation as the "pre-eminent AZ trainer in Northern Ontario," Kleven says.

While the company's core training programs will remain the same, consumer demand has led to the evolution of new training services for the transportation sector, and the creation of a one-stop shop for training needs.

Custom-designed training programs have been integrated into the company's slate of offerings for several years, but most recently NATT has developed a division to focus on niche training in the commercial sector.

"We're putting a name and a focus to something we've been doing successfully for many years, he explains.

"We custom design a program that meets a client's specific needs," Kleven says. "We're able to provide niche training to anybody in the commercial sector - from defensive driving, to driver evaluations, to training for forklift operators."

NATT is also offering outstanding third-party Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), Health and Safety, and Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) training.

"A lot of people know they need to train their people, but they don't know where to start," Kleven says. 'That's where we come in; we turn your training problems into training solutions."

Programs are tailored to suit the needs of any size business, from large companies to small- and medium-sized commercial outfits. In fact, smaller companies may benefit most by contracting out their training needs.

"Say someone has a small group of dock workers and drivers," Kleven explains. "They want to keep their staff training current, but they don't have the financial resources or personnel to do it full time. When you think about it, it's much more cost effective to have someone come in on a contract basis."

NATT will bring its expertise to the client's doorsteps.

"We're contract trainers and we'll go wherever you are. Have trainers; will travel."

NATT can provide staff training to ensure compliance with federal regulations and Ontario Ministry of Transportation guidelines, Kleven adds.

"And that's an important consideration because companies are audited, and it doesn't take too, many (fines) to turn your black into red."

Enforcement has become exponentially more rigid over the past decade, he says.

"If you have too many violations, they start taking licence plates off your trucks," Kleen says. "One of our first considerations is to get our client to a point where he's in compliance."

Kleven stresses that the customer is always in charge of the program.

"We're there to guide, to consult, to provide the hands-on training, but the customer is in the driver's seat."

NATT is happy to develop long-term training partnerships with businesses, he says, and always strives to give clients only what they want and need.

"We make it efficient, we make it to-the-point. We deliver outstanding value for the client's investment."