A LOCAL optician in Pembroke Dock has been celebrating after being awarded the coveted Investors in People status just a year after its opening. To achieve this accolade, Specsavers Opticians, which now has nine members of staff and a customer base of over 5,000, embraced a commitment to training and development of staff. The store undertook four key principles for people development to achieve this standard. These included the commitment to develop employees to achieve business goals and targets by the planning, action and evaluation of all training needs. Rod Mason, store director, said: "The Investors in People recognition confirms our commitment to both our staff and our customers. Since opening a year ago we have developed a range of key training programmes and are confident that we offer the highest standard of service we can throughout the store. "Achieving this standard has really been down to the whole team - I'd like to thank and congratulate the staff for their hard work and success. There is a great team spirit here, making it a very enjoyable place to work. Everyone encourages each other to achieve the best they are capable of and I'm sure our success will motivate us to keep improving." Ruth Spellman, chief executive of Investors in People UK, commented: "Putting people development at the heart of every function is the most cost effective decision a business can ever make. Employees are central to business success, so it is vital for staff to be skilled, flexible and motivated; this can be achieved through planned and consistent training and development. The Investors in People framework ensures that if you look after your inputs, the outputs will look after themselves."