Employees at the £120m-turnover folding carton manufacturer received a combination of ILMs for Leadership and Management and NVQs from the Leicestershire-based institution.

The group recently had to hold four separate awards days in order to present each employee with their certificates.

Ian McFadyean, departmental manager at Benson Box, said he "bit the college's hand off" when offered the training.

"I have been with Benson Box for 11 years and although I have worked my way up I have also been out of education for 25 years," he said.

McFadyean added: "In the current climate no one can be complacent. It’s about future-proofing yourself, and building the skills to help you keep moving forward."

According to Mike Owens, general manager at Benson Box, the group started the intensive process more than two years ago and remain fully committed to long-term training planning for its workforce.

He said: "These awards are reflective of the commitment we see every day from our employees. Each of them should be very proud of their achievement.

"This training has been instrumental in our continued growth and I am positive that it will also lead to further business success in the future".

Benson Group was bought in a management buyout led by managing director Mark Kerridge and commercial director Nick Benson in December last year.

The buyout, which was supported by Lloyds Banking Group, will lead to the exit of two principal family shareholders.