Regional retailer the East of England Co-op has received two nominations under a national training awards programme.

The Co-op, which has more than 200 outlets in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, is among the finalists in both the Learning and Development Team of the Year and the Best Organisational Development Programme categories of the TJ (Training Journal) Awards.

Both nominations are the result of the society's Know How: Leadership programme under which more than 250 managers at varying levels have completed training since its launch in 2015.

Stephen Flurrie, head of learning and development at the East of England Co-op, said: 'The team has built excellent relationships with the business over the last three years through their openness, collaboration and the delivery of some world class training solutions.

'Everything that they deliver is built in collaboration with the relevant departments and practically everything is designed and developed by the team. They've used creativity and innovation, in place of a big budget, to deliver learning that is moving our people forwards and helping to shape the culture of our business.'

The team is also responsible for the East of England Co-op's apprenticeship scheme which launched earlier this year following a successful pilot.

Last year, the team received the Princess Royal Training Award for its Dementia Friendly Retail training programme, which has now been completed by more than 90% of East of England Co-op employees and is being shared with other businesses across the country.

The TJ Awards are due to be announced at a gala dinner ceremony on Tuesday, December 5.