GAME, the European video games chain, has won national recognition for its commitment to staff training.

The company, which relocated its European headquarters to Basingstoke earlier this year, has been presented with a certificate for apprenticeship commitment.

GAME is one of only about 25 organisations in the country to receive the national accolade from the Learning and Skills Council.

The company's headquarters, distribution and retail staff are being offered the opportunity to develop in the workplace with NVQ qualifications, dubbed in-house the "Academy of Excellence".

The NVQ programme complements the existing training scheme of "Excellence in Practice" and has developed from covering retail, customer service and team-leading to now include business administration, distribution and warehousing and call handling.

The apprenticeship commitment certificate acknowledges that GAME is taking up the Government initiative to give ongoing training to staff. The company employs some 270 permanent and temporary staff at its headquarters in Basingstoke, as well as those working in more than 380 UK stores.

Among those taking up the opportunity for continued learning is Lynn Howells, 45, from Ascot, who is the PA to Martin Long, chief executive of GAME.

Being PA to the chief executive may seem like a top job, but Lynn decided that a level three NVQ in administration would benefit her - despite the skills she has developed over the years. She started studying in January and hopes to complete the NVQ course by the spring.

She said: "It's a form of recognition and another qualification for my CV."

Also taking up the challenge and proving it's never too late to learn is Mike Peterson, 57, from Bracknell, who joined GAME as traffic manager after a background of serving in the Army and accountancy. He is taking the A1 assessors course to become an assessor for candidates studying for NVQs in warehousing.

Malcolm Knight, head of training and development at GAME, said: "Our staff will be able to learn a lot from an NVQ course and it will benefit them, whether they work in stores, the distribution centre or in head office.

"But our ultimate aim is that this will translate into an even better experience for GAME customers."

The company's six-monthly financial results show turnover down to £213million from £231million in 2003, but it is predicting the year will end with a profit. GAME said the downturn was the result of a lack of major title releases and no new hardware during the first half of the year.

Chairman Peter Lewis said: "I outlined in April that the first half of the year would be challenging due to these factors.

"The improvement in margins, despite this environment, demonstrates the ability of the management to influence the sales mix and improve buying terms."

He added: "As we prepare for the crucial Christmas trading period, we believe we have our best-ever, strong and competitive offering.

"The group has shown its ability to trade strongly in an increasingly competitive arena and there is a very strong software release scheduled for the second half.

"Ahead of the start of the next hardware cycle, the board remains confident that the market prospects in the medium-term represent an exciting opportunity for GAME."