Metro has taken the Government's Skills Pledge to show its commitment to supporting all its employees in further developing their skills.

Coordinated by the Department for Educations and Skills, the Skills Pledge encourages companies and organisations to support all employees to develop their basic skills and work towards relevant, valuable qualifications.

"Metro has already been recognised as a good employer and taking the Skills Pledge is further evidence of our commitment to all of our workforce," said Metro's Director of Corporate Services Sheena Pickersgill, when she joined Under-Secretary of State for Skills, David Lammy to sign up to the scheme.

"It will help us to ensure people reach their full skills potential and give them the ability and confidence to have their say, and play their full part in the development of our organisation."

Having taken the Skills Pledge, Metro will have access to the support and advice of a skills broker to identify its workforce's needs, develop an appropriate training package and identify sources of Government funding and training suppliers.

Metro's achievements as an employer include:

• achieving and retaining Investors in People status since 1995;
• being ranked once again in 2007 as one of the UK's best companies to work for, in the Guardian Britain's Top Employers 2007, 15th-place rating made Metro the highest placed public sector organisation on the list;
• achieving Approved Centre Status with the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) in February 2007, for its commitment to delivering first class customer service at all levels;
• qualifying as an 'Age Positive Employer Champion' for its commitment to tackling age discrimination and promoting age diversity in the workplace.