PEPPERMINT Soda – the Hale-based marketing communications agency – has partnered with two leading industry trade bodies, to form the Peppermint Soda Academy.

It has linked up with the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) and the Global Association for Creative Advertising and Design (D&AD).

The move means that each member of Peppermint’s team has access to an annual budget and progression plan – providing staff with access to the very best professional training based on their level and skill set.

Jean-Philippe Glaskie, managing director of Peppermint Soda, said: “The skills and development of our team are absolutely crucial to the agency’s future, so we’re committed to investing in their future.

"We’ve always placed a strong emphasis on training and progression, and taking this a step further to create our own academy cements our dedication to develop as individuals and as a team.

“Our team is one of our greatest assets, so we’re keen to ensure that they are armed with as much knowledge and insight as possible, in order to deliver the best quality campaigns and maintain our high standards – whether in PR, social media, branding, design or any other aspect of marketing communications.”

Peppermint’s 25-strong team will each have access to an annual training budget and be entitled to attend a variety of courses, webinars and training sessions each year in order to support their professional progression. Training will then be shared internally throughout the agency to ensure that all team members benefit from the insight gained from the two bodies.

Alice Chadwick-Jones, talent and professional development director at PRCA, said: “It’s very encouraging to see agencies like Peppermint Soda leading the way by investing in professional development – offering staff accredited training and industry recognised development opportunities.

"This academy will give Peppermint Soda access to online and classroom courses run by industry experts, and we are delighted to collaborate with them on this pioneering project.”

Peppermint Soda – which was founded in 2004 and offers a full breadth of marketing communications services to its clients – recently scooped gold as the North West’s outstanding consultancy at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards.