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ISSUE NUMBER02.

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Produced by Northumbria University 185550/10/06training and self development.

WELCOME TO ISSUE NUMBER02.

Chris Roberts, Regional Director of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East - The employer offer The skills issue remains high on the agenda of Government and businesses across the UK. It is recognised that the key to future economic success lies with equipping employers with the skills they need to be competitive in a global market. And in today’s economic climate, it is even more important than ever for employers to invest in training to ensure they have a workforce equipped with the skills they need to succeed.

This month saw the second anniversary of the Train to Gain service, which ensures training is delivered to meet employers’ needs through an independent brokerage service.

Train to Gain nationally experienced its best month ever in July and this has been reflected here in the North East. Relative to its size, the North East continues to perform exceptionally well with Train to Gain in relation to both learning provision and skills brokerage.

The latest customer satisfaction scores for skills brokerage nationally indicates that the North East service - delivered by Business and Enterprise North East - swept the board as the best performing region on all eight key indicators.

Since it was launched two years ago,Train to Gain has engaged 5,510 employers across the North East and has helped 17,711 learners achieve a whole range of qualifications. That is a tremendous achievement.

The country’s earning landscape is set to change and the training needs of employers have never been as high on the government’s agenda as now. The Apprenticeship programme has a key role to play in equipping employers with a highly skilled workforce.

The government announced recently that the basic Apprenticeship pay will increase from £80 a week to £95 from August 2009. This will benefit an estimated 10 percent of apprentices, mostly those in traditional less well paid sectors of whom 90 per cent are women.

Other measures were announced which will support the construction industry with 42,000 Apprenticeships by 2012 and a ‘Clearing House’ established with Construction Skills to ensure that apprentices at risk of redundancy can be matched with employers needing new staff elsewhere. An increase in the number of manufacturing Apprenticeships available will see the total number for the sector increase by 10%.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East has, along with key partners, made a great deal of progress in changing employer perceptions about the importance of workforce development. The huge impact it can have on businesses ‘bottom line’ and the regional economy should be a great incentive for employers to get involved. n

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2. news 0 04. no barrier to business success 06. tyne metropolitan college 10. caterers take a larger slice of the market 11. sharing shakespeare and sherlock 12. drop the attitude 15. access 16. creating a winning environment 20. amanda works towards a secure future 22. profound services 24. does training really help?

26. dial-a-trained workforce 28. mcq 29. learning gives lynn food for thought 31. ncfe 32. david delivers logistics success 34. sherwood partnership 36. the nine steps to operational heaven 39. baltic training service 42. north east ambassadors for skills 44. wearside boss put to the test 45. fsb 46. become brilliant at the basics

02 NEWS

NEWS 03

Train to gain celebrates two years of success Home improvement retailer B&Q has become the 100,000th company to sign up to Train to Gain, as the flagship service marks its second year of helping to boost the nation’s skills.

Employer representatives joined Ministers in calling on even more employers to take advantage of the training service, which helps firms get the best from their staff by identifying and helping meet skills needs. 78 per cent of employers say that they would recommend Train to Gain to other employers.

Since its launch in 2006, Train to Gain has helped over 570,000 employees in England get training, and over 291,000 learners have achieved a qualification. An evaluation published this year revealed that some 43 per cent of people who had completed their training reported having received a pay rise, and 30 per cent reported having had promotion.

Funding for Train to Gain will increase from £520 million in 2007-08 to over £1 billion by 2010-11.

Lord Young, Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said: “Successful employers see up-skilling the workforce as one of the most powerful things they can do to drive their businesses forward.

Employers who have invested in the skills of their people in the past will be better placed to respond to the economic challenges, and they will also be better placed to take advantage of the opportunities in the next period of growth.

“B&Q has helped to mark a milestone for this service. Only two years in, a hundred thousand businesses have benefited from Train to Gain. Now more than ever, employers need to ensure they are getting the best from their staff by taking advantage of the range of training and funding opportunities available through Train to Gain.”

Martyn Philips, HR Director, B&Q said: “Good skills at all levels are essential to our business if we are to continue to thrive in an exceptionally competitive market and we currently invest a lot of time and effort in ensuring our staff receive the training they need in order to be the best at their job.

Train to Gain means we can now do this even better than before and helps us to really identify our employees’ individual needs. Over

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the next 12 months we anticipate around 35 per cent of our non-management population will be awarded the NVQ Retails Skills Level 2. In addition we will be launching an apprenticeship programme early next year.”

Miles Templeman, Director General, Institute of Directors (IoD) said: “Skills and training have never been more important to UK businesses. In the everintensifying heat of global competition, skills are a critical factor in determining business success. IoD members are fully committed to this agenda - over 90 per cent provide training for their employees. Services like Train to Gain will help to maintain this encouraging trend.

It has made a very positive start and there is clearly considerable potential to build on this foundation by continuing to raise its profile in the business community. It is there, after all, for employers to take advantage of.”

TRAIN TO GAIN HAS HELPED OVER 570,000 EMPLOYEES IN ENGLAND GET TRAINING, AND OVER 291,000 LEARNERS HAVE ACHIEVED A QUALIFICATION Richard Thorold, principal at Gateshead College, said: “In the past two years since Train to Gain was introduced, as one of the North East’s leading training providers we have met with more than 116 employers. Train to Gain has turned out to be the success we hoped it would be and employers share our view; feedback from the businesses we’ve worked with has been very positive, with many of them reporting an increase in productivity, profits or efficiency as a result of our training.

“Train to Gain has enabled us to use our expert knowledge to develop bespoke training packages that identify skills gaps, build confidence, motivate teams and deliver

immediate results.”

A spokesperson for the British Chamber of Commerce said: “Businesses’ ability to grow and succeed is dependent on its staff. Professional development - both in terms of skills levels and management capabilities - is crucial, and business is committed to providing employees with the training they need. Train to Gain is a tangible embodiment of partnership between employers and the Government to training, and one which we hope to progress as Train to Gain evolves as a service to business.”

Frances O’Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary said: “Where employers and unions work together Train to Gain produces great results both for employers and workers. Union Learning Reps know that access to learning changes lives and are keen for their employers to sign up to Train to Gain”.

John Vigar, Continuous Improvement and Business Coordination Manager, Lotus Group, commented: “It’s great to see what an improvement the LSC initiatives like Train to Gain has made to our business’ performance and to the staff themselves. We have been able to further improve our performance measures as well as provide worthy recognition of our employees’ efforts.”

Through Train to Gain, the Londonbased construction firm FM Conway Ltd has trained 250 of its employees in a range of qualifications including Operatives and Masons through to Plant Operators. One employee, Sharon Field, completed a range of training starting at A-level equivalent, progressing through to postgraduate degree equivalent in Management. This helped her earn a promotion to director level.

Sharon Field said: “Getting the training to improve my skills has renewed my selfconfidence. I’m sure that it will strengthen my ability to support the company in its future growth. Training has also improved the performance and loyalty of my other colleagues - ultimately benefiting our company’s bottomline.” n Employers wanting more information on Train to Gain can either call 0800 015 55 45 or visit traintogain.gov.uk.

DENHAM APPROVES NEW NATIONAL SKILLS ACADEMIES 7 October 2008: Around 150,000 young people and adults will get the chance to develop world-class skills as entrepreneurs, IT workers, electrical engineers and social carers as four academies were given the go-ahead today by Skills Secretary John Denham.

New skills academies for Enterprise, Power, IT and Social Care will receive up to £30m in capital and revenue funding— matched by employers—to unlock and nurture the talents of a new generation of professionals. They will help thousands of people to become leaders in their chosen fields, as well as helping to tackle current and future skills shortages in areas vital to the future success of our economy.

The four skills academies, now proceeding to the business planning stage, will add to the existing network of twelve national skills academies, ten of which are operational and two in business planning. An estimated 880,000 people will now be supported by all 16 skills academies during their first five years of operation. Total Government investment in the programme will reach an estimated £120m.

Mr Denham said: “Now, more than ever before, we need to develop innovative training that inspires and empowers a new generation to realise their ambitions. Skills academies put employers in the driving seat to shape training for their industries, building the world-beating workforce that will improve productivity and competitiveness across the country. It is great news that four more sectors are now on their way to joining the growing network of operational National Skills Academies, ensuring that firms get the maximum return on their investment in skills”.

Each skills academy, led by employers, will deliver unique and specially designed training, adapted to the very specific needs of its sector. Training will be offered in a variety of ways to suit both learners and employers alike - on-site, online, at dedicated National Skills Academy colleges, and through existing training providers depending on industry needs.

The four successful skills academies entered bids following our fourth competitive bidding round announced on 5 June 2008.

Each bidder will now be invited to produce business plans. Every bid must be appraised by an independent panel, chaired by the Learning & Skills Council. n The National Skills Academy for Enterprise will be a centre of excellence for enterprise learning, equipping young people with the skills and the confidence they need to become enterprising employees or entrepreneurs in their own right. The skills academy will deliver the UK’s first accredited full Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in enterprise and entrepreneurship; it will help teachers and lecturers embed enterprise into their curricula; and it will provide short courses to enable both new and established businesses to become more enterprising.

Thousands of learners primarily in 16 -19 age range will be supported by the skills academy in its first three years of operation; the interest already expressed by potential learners has been overwhelming. Over 11,000 learners will be supported in the first three years of the skills academy’s operation. n The National Skills Academy for Power will support some 69,000 learners in its first three years of operation. The skills academy will address current and future skills shortages to ensure a secure supply of electricity.

The electricity industry is facing a range of significant skills challenges including strong competition for skilled people and massive infrastructure renewal and refurbishment programmes.The National Skills Academy for Power will work with the electricity industry to deliver the right skills at the right time and to the right standard, covering all levels of skill from NVQ Level 2 through to Level 8. n The National Skills Academy for Information Technology will provide a centre of excellence for apprenticeship training, a university-accredited IT Professional Foundation Programme and a suite of new training options for career changers. The skills academy will also establish cohesion in learning and qualifications, encouraging new provision that meets employer needs, and enables IT professionals to gain external recognition of skills. 10,000 learners will benefit during the first thee years of the skills academy’s operation. n The National Skills Academy for Social Care will benefit a projected 58,000 learners

during its first few years of operation. The skills academy will raise standards by giving social care staff, new starters, leaders and managers training and support throughout their careers.

Entrepreneur Peter Jones, who led the bid for the National Skills Academy for Enterprise, said: “I’m delighted with this commitment from Government to enterprise learning.

The funding contribution announced today will help us turn our plans for a £32 million learning programme into reality.

Through powerful public and private sector partnership, we can successfully unlock the talent of Britain’s young people and realise the potential of the UK to lead the world in entrepreneurship.

“The new National Skills Academy for Enterprise will focus on developing enterprise and innovation skills to equip the next generation of young people with the skills and confidence they will need to succeed in the modern business world, whether as enterprising employees or starting their own businesses.”

Chris Banks, Chairman of the Learning and Skills Council, said: “This unique collaboration between Government and industry is key to making high quality skills available to employers and creating opportunities for their employees.

There are hundreds of employers involved already, showcasing the network’s close relationships with employers of all sizes and in a diverse range of sectors.”

The new skills academies will join an existing network of twelve. Between them, the original twelve skills academies plan to support around 732,000 people during their first three years of operation. The National Skills Academy for Financial Services, for example, has already delivered 3,000 sector specific courses to learners in its first year of operation. The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing has helped companies like Lotus and Land Rover improve the skills of more than 700 employees.

Two further skills academies for Materials, Production and Supply and Fashion, Textiles and Jewellery are currently in the business planning stage and, if approved, will become operational later this year. n

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04 CASE STUDY

No barrier to business success With company roots which can be traced back 85 years, family owned F Peart & Co Ltd, now in its third generation, knows no limit when it comes to building a successful business.

The Hartlepool based company has evolved from a coal merchant in the early 1900’s to a leading oil distributor and fencing manufacturer. It is the largest independent distributor of fuel in the North East, boasting a fleet of 40 vehicles, and a distribution network from the Scottish Borders to the Midlands.

Peart Fencing, which has established itself as one of the market leaders in its field, manufactures and distributes nationwide a range of steel fencing products - mesh fencing systems, palisade, railings and pedestrian barriers.

Thanks to a customer-focussed approach and investment in the skills of its employees, the company boasts a turnover in excess of £120m, and a workforce of 150.

With a customer support strategy based upon total, no compromise customer satisfaction, Peart values its long term customer relationships. Peart recognises the important role its employees play and so values their input. In particular, the company strives to have a motivated and trained workforce which is aware of its responsibilities to its customers.

After assessment of employee needs, 22 of Peart Fencing’s employees have completed National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ’s) in BusinessImprovement Techniques (B-IT) at Level 2, with the help of the Train to Gain service.

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Jointly funded by Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East and One North East,Train to Gain offers independent skills advice and access to the right training to help businesses succeed. It includes a skills brokerage service, which provides free impartial advice and help in finding the best training to meet business needs and improve skills.

Through Train to Gain Peart was quick to recognise the added value that B-IT could bring to key members of its team. Designed to improve overall business performance, B-IT qualifications use the philosophy of lean manufacturing to eliminate waste, reduce costs and boost productivity.

Through a series of on-site training sessions, workers learnt how to contribute to effective team working and were encouraged to create visual management systems. They also looked at workplace organisation techniques and ways of adopting continuous improvement in manufacturing and business processes.

Colin Stead, managing director, Peart Fencing explains: “There’s no doubt that our customers call the shots. They also recognise the value of great customer service and the benefits of dealing with a responsive organisation which puts them at the heart of new products, the buying process and the company as a whole.

“To achieve all this we need to have a workforce which is on the ball and constantly looking at ways of improving what we do. We heard about Train to Gain via Business Link and are delighted that the B-IT qualifications are giving us a great base on which to build.

“In particular the training is giving our employees the skills and confidence to take an objective look at the way in which existing systems can be tackled more efficiently and effectively.

“It was most important that the correct training was identified at the onset and the training provider was flexible to work around our commitments, to minimise disruption. We have used Baltic Training Ltd throughout this process, and it has provided a tailored package to meet our requirements,” he continued.

Peart Fencing has been so impressed with B-IT that they have already integrated the qualification into their in-house training programme for new starters. As a result, 13 new recruits have recently started the training as part of their induction process.

Due to the resounding success of this training, 40 tanker drivers are due to start an NVQ in Carry and Deliver Goods at Level 2, with Traffic Office and Warehouse & Distribution also being considered.

Chris Roberts, regional director with the LSC North East, said: “Based on its track record, Peart Fencing is an organisation which is already doing things right. This example helps to highlight the fact that successful companies are not content with standing still. They see the value of ongoing training and investing in the skills of their workforce to give them a competitive edge and take their business to new heights.” n

For more information on Train to Gain, please visit www.traintogain.gov.uk

CASE STUDY 05

“To achieve all this we need to have a workforce which is on the ball and constantly looking at ways of improving what we do. We heard about Train to Gain via Business Link and are delighted that the B-IT qualifications are giving us a great base on which to build”

Peter Blenkiron General Manager, with workforce (L to R) Greg Cole, John Rose, Ian Jones, Graham Williamson, Anthony Turnbull, Phillip Price.

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06 TYNEMETROPOLITANCOLLEGE

The Career Development Centre @ TyneMet is a newly realigned Centre for Adult Learners Our aim is to provide quality education and training to improve people’s skills and knowledge base in order to help them find work, to keep them up to date or to improve their career prospects. We are a demand led department, meeting the needs of employers and employees to ensure that the skills and training delivered improve the potential of the work force. hrough our three directorates, we offer a wide range of programmes in a variety of industries, and our remit continues to grow and develop in line with commercial needs. Operating throughout the year and not just during term time, these courses offer a cost effective way for you to develop the potential of your staff and to improve competitiveness, performance, productivity and motivation across the business.

The Directorate of Pre Employment offers courses in literacy, numeracy and ESOL and a wide range of courses designed for learners returning to work and study.

offsite in a range of training environments and employers’ premises at times to suit the workforce needs, contributing to the regional drive to meet the level 2 and level 3 qualification targets. With our team of dedicated, enthusiastic trainer/assessors and workforce consultants we can advise and support your organisation promising you and your employees a rewarding and positive experience at Tyne Met. An ambitious and inspirational programme of work is currently within the work force brief, working with childcare and foster carers, floristry, education through initial teacher training qualifications, hospitality and catering, holistic therapies, electrical installation and fitness instruction as a sample of the breadth delivered on site with structured programmes supporting the career change opportunities presented to our learners.

The Directorate’s key aims are to:

SKILLS PLEDGE

DIRECTORATE OF PRE EMPLOYMENT

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Engage learners returning to work and study Increase the opportunities for learners to undertake Skills for Life qualifications.

Create closer links with employers to deliver the Skills Pledge.

Increase the ways in which Tyne Met College works in a collaborative partnership with other key agencies such as Jobcentre Plus, Working Links, Princes Trust and North Tyneside Council to provide a cohesive approach to improving skills and employment opportunities.

Deliver a variety of ESOL courses to provide the opportunity for people whose first language is not English. Improving their employability chances.

DIRECTORATE OF WORK FORCE DEVELOPMENT Workforce Development @ TyneMet supports employers and employees in the work place. Tyne Met is able to offer tailored training packages to meet individual requirements. Working

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We are committed to the national Skills Pledge, having signed it on behalf of our own staff and are able to offer complete bespoke organisational and individual training needs analysis. We will work with you to understand your requirements in building a tailored programme of learning.

HOW WE WORK TOGETHER:

TYNEMETROPOLITANCOLLEGE 07 TRAIN TO GAIN We have excellent success rates and strong on going partnerships with our clients, representing our commitment to a quality learning experience. Train to Gain forms a significant role within the Work Force Directorate. 2006/2007 success rate at 83% is significantly higher than any other regional or national success rate statistic.

Through close working partnerships with employers and trainers and ensuring we have the right learner on the right programme, a successful journey is started; providing the employee with the confidence and support to succeed.

DIRECTORATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND ACCESS Universities @ TyneMet offers a unique Higher Education experience. Focussing on teaching for learning, the directorate stimulates participation and success in higher level skills with an emphasis on employability and vocational learning. A highly supportive and inspirational learning environment, excellent partnerships with local Universities and a bespoke access provision are all factors helping to raise aspiration within the region. We offer a wide range of Foundation Degree, HND and Teacher Education courses.

These programmes are designed through collaboration with organisations including employers, higher education institutions and colleges, enabling students to make an immediate contribution to the workplace.

Higher Education changes lives for the better – not only do government statistics show this but our students tell us how gaining higher level skills has increased their life chances and raised the standard of living for them and their families.

Pre Employment (Engage)

Hajara Literacy & Numeracy

“It has improved my confidence and my English and IT Skills and helped me to meet other people from different backgrounds. I am looking forward to my future in the UK and aim to study for a degree in Early Childhood Education in the near future.”

Ugandan-born Hajara was forced to flee persecution in her native country in 2004, leaving behind her life as a qualified teacher. Granted asylum in the UK with her husband in 2005, Hajara enrolled on courses through TyneMet College to develop her basic skills (Literacy and Numeracy Levels 2). She is now working towards CLAIT and Teaching Assistant Level 2, having passed Level 1 with flying colours.

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08 TYNEMETROPOLITANCOLLEGE

TYNEMETROPOLITANCOLLEGE 09

Jack Oliver NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services “I am delighted with this course; it is very interesting and I like learning something new but which has direct relevance to my job. I’ve found the tutors to be approachable and friendly. Being a modern apprentice will definitely open up new opportunities for me.”

Workforce Development (Development)

After completing a degree in Biotechnology Jack decided to change career direction.

He joined an Advanced Modern Apprenticeship scheme which offers him the chance to continue earning while retraining for a career in Pharmacy. As part of the scheme, Jack now works as a trainee Pharmacy Technician at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital where he is working towards an NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services. Jack also attends TyneMet one day per week to do a BNC Pharmacy Services course to gain the underpinning knowledge and key skills required for his job.

Katherine Lowther NVQ Level 2 in Engineering “I’d always loved working with my hands at school but wasn’t sure how this could translate into an actual career. My Apprenticeship changed all that; because I’m based in a real workplace it’s opened my eyes to a whole world of new jobs I never even knew existed. Now, because I’m working towards a qualification at the same time, I know that my Apprenticeship is taking me a step up the ladder I want to climb.”

Katherine left school at 15 with no qualifications.

Returning to college aged 19, Katherine began to give more serious thought to her career prospects. Having inherited a love of hands-on practical work from her mechanic grandfather, Katherine applied for an Apprenticeship at SCA Hygiene in Prudhoe. As a fullyfledged apprentice Katherine attends TyneMet as part of her training towards a Performing Engineering Operations NVQ Level 2 and BTEC National Certificate in Operations & Maintenance.

Jonathan McCutcheon: Service Management student

Higher Education (Progress) www.theskillspledge.com

I had been working as a System Administrator for about four years, basically staying at the same level. I wanted to develop my career and progress into management so I decided to do a Foundation degree course in Service Management. I chose TyneMet because I wanted to learn and work at the same time. The course covers areas such as: personal development, marketing, service quality, business innovation and design. I feel I have learnt a lot, both in terms of knowledge and experience, and I soon felt ready to take on new challenges. With my new confidence, I applied for, and was accepted as a Practice Manager of Brunton Park Medical Group. It is a small but growing practice which has really challenged me but I have the confidence and experience that I’ve gained on the course to help me. The Partners of the practice were intrigued at the structure of the course but deem it advantageous to provide continued support for me. When I’ve completed this course, I am looking to further my education by attending the final year at Sunderland University to get a BA (Hons) in Applied Management.

Career Development @ TyneMet There’s a career withyour name on it.....

Why not tap into our funded training that improves skills at no cost to employers *, kick started with a computerised Training Needs Analysis in a large range of occupational sectors Including: Pre-Employment skills for life skills for work emPloyability WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HOSPITALITY AND CATERING WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING BUSINESS ADMIN AND CUSTOMER SERVICE EDUCATION TRAINING AND WORK BASED LEARNING CARE AND EARLY YEARS SCIENCE AND PHARMACY ENGINEERING HAIR, BEAUTY AND FLORISTRY LAUNDRY AND CLEANING HIGHER EDUCATION FOUNDATION DEGREES IN: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANCY COMPUTING AND MANY MORE...

We can give you : n Customised training n Flexible delivery systems n Solutions to gain an advantage over competitors n Qualifications from all industry sectors

Contact Joan Wardle: Business Manager for Career Development E: joan.wardle@tynemet.ac.uk Telephone 0191 229 5306 Embleton Avenue Wallsend Tyne and Wear NE28 9NJ

*subject to meeting funding criteria

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10 CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY 11

Caterers take a larger slice of the market A North East catering company has developed a taste for learning, enrolling its staff on a variety of training courses to enhance their skills.

Church’s Cuisine Ltd., from Chesterle-Street, County Durham, is one of thousands of companies to benefit from the jointly funded Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East and One NorthEast Train to Gain service.

And having taken advantage of the service to provide Skills for Life training, Church’s Cuisine’s more productive team has enabled the company to seek and win new orders –increasing turnover by 25%.

Director, Kris Blackburn, said: “The training has been a huge success and has assisted in the day to day running of the business, making staff more aware of how to carry out their roles to the full. For small businesses, such as us, Train to Gain offers a unique opportunity to access training which wouldn’t otherwise be financially viable.”

Train to Gain helps organisations get the training they need to stay ahead in a competitive environment by improving the skills of the workforce. Developed as part of a wider effort by the Regional Skills Partnership in the North East to increase the productivity and further regenerate the region, it ensures that skills brokerage is available to all employers in the North East.

The service offers impartial advice and matches training needs to local learning providers, ensuring that flexible, responsive training is delivered to meet employers’ needs. A core element of Train to Gain is the access to appropriate funding for qualifications from Skills for Life through to higher education.

Thanks to the training undertaken Church’s Cuisine is confident that it’s soon to be launched new range of pies, which will be distributed in retail outlets across the region, will be a success. And this will be down to staff having a new set of skills and on morale being at an all time high.

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Sharing Shakespeare and Sherlock

The company, which creates buffets for corporate and private customers, also has plans to begin further qualifications, including a managerial food preparation and manufacturing course.

Chris Roberts, regional director, LSC North East, said: “Train to Gain is tailored to each individual business, meaning that the financial and time constraints often associated with training need not apply.

It’s great to hear that Church’s Cuisine has developed a taste for training which, I’m sure, will bring more success.” n For more information on Train to Gain, please visit traintogain.gov.uk or call 0800 015 5545.

Employee Christine Wilkinson (left) with director Kris Blackburn (right)

English literature student Claire Taylor from Hartlepool is urging people to take a leaf out of her book by brushing up on their literacy and language skills.

For 28 year old Claire getting to grips with everything from Shakespeare to Sherlock Holmes has involved a pretty steep learning curve. Not only because she left school at 16 with grades she was less than happy with, but because she also has dyslexia.

Now she has passed a GCSE English Literature exam, Claire has time to reflect on just how far she’s come as part of her learning journey. It all started when Claire was walking through her local shopping centre one day.

“I was out shopping when I noticed a stand promoting courses to brush up on your maths and English. I’d been meaning to do something about my qualifications for a while as I felt my grades were holding me back at work and in my life in general.

“I was happy to submit my details and before I knew it a pack of information came through the post which told me all about

the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East funded Skills for Life courses which were available in the Hartlepool area. What’s more, they were free,”said Claire.

Claire wasted no time in signing up for an adult literacy course at Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Working her way through the course requirements, Claire was delighted to achieve a nationally recognised qualification at Level 2 in Literacy.

Not content with stopping there, however, Claire’s love of learning saw her progress onto a GCSE English Literature course.

Here she had to step up her learning to digest and debate the likes of ‘Macbeth’and ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’, a Sherlock Holmes story, written by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

She achieved a creditable D grade but she is determined to do even better and intends to go back and resit the exam next year.

Her new interest in English has really helped to boost her self esteem and she

now has an added spring in her step at work.

“I work as a sales associate in Hartlepool.

My job involves everything from running the copy centre, through to helping customers on the shop floor and dealing with returns. My new qualifications have given me a real boost of confidence at home and at work.”

Claire has already signed up do a Skills for Life numeracy qualification as well as starting a web design course, so that she can pursue her dream of working in IT one day.

Chris Roberts, regional director, LSC North East, added: “Research shows that there is a direct link between gaining decent qualifications and your ability to earn more money. Skills for Life courses can help get the ball rolling by showing you that learning is fun and that it can boost your future prospects.” n For more information on learning, call nextstep on 0800 027 7944 8am-8pm Monday to Friday or visit www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands

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12 FEATURE

Drop the attitude

FEATURE 13 You know, I’m beginning to think that most of our business failures are down to nothing more than very bad attitudes.Take this example: I recently heard about a woman who ran a 650 seat contact centre in the entertainment industry — a job she had been doing for more than ten years. Like many of us, she’d been under pressure to find ways to increase sales in the midst of recession. Her solution to this problem was to run an incentive scheme. Fair enough, you may think, but she didn’t discuss it with her colleagues before she took her plan to the board. In her eyes, why should she? She’d been doing her job for ten years, after all. She knew what she was doing...

The woman in question managed to calculate that, with a budget of a half a million pounds, she could dramatically increase sales conversions to deliver several million pounds to the bottom line. The board said: ‘Wow. What a fantastic return on investment”, but asked very few questions — presumably too excited by the promise of the return — and committed to finding the funding for the incentive scheme.

It was at this point that a lone voice asked: “If we are going to commit this kind of money, shouldn’t we just check this scheme stands up?” In the end, they agreed to ask some experts to check that the scheme would work and deliver the results they wanted.

Poor score The results weren’t good. The report concluded that running an incentive scheme at that time in that contact centre wouldn’t increase sales. In fact, it would be a complete and utter failure. And it would fail because the agents didn’t have the skills to sell, they didn’t have the attitude to sell and the managers didn’t know how to manage sales operations. People were being targeted on the wrong things and there was no way of measuring the right things. Basically, too much was broken for an incentive scheme alone to fix.

The board were shocked that the plan they unanimously approved was doomed to fail. They asked the contact centre head what she thought. She said that she agreed with the findings; there were indeed a number of problem areas. Understandably, perhaps, the board’s next question was: why had she suggested the incentive scheme in the first place? Now, perhaps she was already feeling a little overwhelmed that the contact centre she’d run so loyally for so long had so many problems, but at this point she had a choice. She could have said: “Well, I thought it would work, but I realise now we’ve got to look beyond incentives to improve sales. I have learned a lot and feel confident that, if we take a more comprehensive approach, we could deliver the results the business needs.”

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14 FEATURE Heck, if she was really stumped and didn’t know how to make the necessary improvements, she could even have said: “I suggest we pool our knowledge in this area and agree a plan we all believe will work.”

Instead, she did a massive U-turn and said: “I’ve changed my mind — I don’t believe we have these issues.They’re wrong: my plan will work”.

Interesting reaction.The board thought so too. It might not surprise you to know that she is no longer the head of that contact centre.

But it didn’t have to be like that. The board didn’t want her head on the block.

They were as surprised as she was by the findings and genuinely wanted her opinion on how to make it work. She lost her job because she was too proud to admit she’d been unable to spot the problems herself — and too unwilling to acknowledge there were things she didn’t know.

Chain reaction So why react like this? Why do we get defensive about things we don’t know?

Why does admitting we lack certain skills or knowledge make us feel threatened?

And why is saying: “Sorry, I was wrong on this occasion” tantamount to admitting incompetence? On the contrary, I think it is being too defensive that makes people look incompetent. She could have accepted the advice, got on with the job, made the improvements and, who knows, even got a promotion. Instead, she lost her job because she had a negative, defensive attitude.

She’s since been replaced and the contact centre has gone from strength to strength, delivering far in excess of the money she promised to deliver for half the cost of the original incentive scheme.

The moral of this story is, sometimes you need to be prepared to admit you just don’t know. Ignore your ego occasionally. I know only too well that in some organisations that can be very difficult to do, but it is this kind of bravery and confidence which, in the end, reaps results.

Rather than being labelled as a failure, you’re far more likely to get the support you need to move forward and put things right. n

ACCESS 15

(L-R) Access’ training manager Alan Dent, director of operations Christine Scott and managing director Malcolm Armstrong outside the new Skills Academy

(L-R) Access skills advisor Sue Tomlinson with View Logistics’ managing director Steve Byrne and sales manager Carol Haqqi

All change for Access

It’s good Advice

Access Training Limited has managed and delivered vocational training programmes and apprenticeships in the North East for over 20 years.

A year of huge change for the company has culminated in a move to a sparkling new office and training facility and a refreshed corporate look.

Now simply know as Access, the company has relocated to the purpose built £6 million Gateshead Skills Academy on the Team Valley, funded by the Learning and Skills Council and One NorthEast, and is implementing ambitious expansion plans.

Malcolm Armstrong, managing director and owner, said: “We are now better placed than ever to support the drive to improve the skills of the North East workforce and help the region to remain productive and competitive.To do this we have reorganised operations to focus on three key areas.”

Access Business Solutions works with employers to identify their business and training needs, providing advice on training solutions and helping to secure funding for training.

Access Apprenticeships focuses on the government’s flagship training programmes for 16-24 year olds, building on the company’s excellent reputation for tailoring these national programmes for individual employers. Apprenticeships available include accounting, business administration, customer service, advice and guidance, management, learning and development, manufacturing, warehousing and security systems (engineering).

Access Training encompasses all other training services for employers and employees including Train to Gain, commercial and short course provision, teaching and learning programmes and conference facilities.

All this has also created new jobs at Access which, since being established in 1989, has grown to become one of the North East’s top training providers, picking up a host of national awards and regularly working with over 150 local businesses.

Providing good quality advice and guidance is a prerequisite of many organisations, especially those which deal face to face with their customers on a regular basis.

With this in mind, Gateshead based Access has introduced a range of qualifications specifically aimed at helping businesses improve the support that they can offer to their clients.

The company, awarded the Matrix standard for the delivery and quality of its own information, advice and guidance (IAG), has now been accredited to offer NVQs in Advice and Guidance at levels 2, 3 and 4. Take up of these qualifications has proved very popular.

Mel Taylor, business development consultant at Access, explained: “People need advice and guidance in all aspects of their lives. Whether it is help in sourcing information from a library or voluntary organisation, gaining advice about housing, benefit entitlement, energy efficiency, where to stay from the tourist office or even guidance on which wedding dress to buy for the big day, we all expect the people we ask to be qualified to do this.

“These Advice and Guidance qualifications are proving very popular as they provide organisations with the confidence that their staff are competent in communicating with and supporting their clients and ultimately providing an excellent level of service.”

Support provided to growing carpet and tiling specialist View Logistics has already helped the group increase turnover by 8% this year. A skills investment programme for around 30 employees involved a range of courses, with sales manager Carol Haqqi becoming one of the first employees to embark on the Advice and Guidance NVQ level 3 with Access.

Managing director Steve Byrne believes this better skilled and more motivated workforce has been crucial to the recent success and plans to extend the training programme to more areas of the operation.

Tel: 0191 490 4646 www.accesstraining.org

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16 TRAINING

TRAINING 17

CREATING A WINNING ENVIRONMENT It is the responsibility of the leader to create the feel of his workplace: that whether the work environment is focused, energetic and urgent or lethargic, confused and uninspired, is a reflection of the leader, not the followers.Winning leaders take daily responsibility for setting the tone in their business.They act like a thermostat and not a thermometer. A thermostat is an active instrument. It dictates the climate. A thermometer is passive. It reacts, records and responds to conditions that exist without doing anything to create them. In the next article, we’ll explore six steps leaders must take to create a winning environment. Discuss these strategies with your team and ensure you’re doing enough to create the right environment where you work. After all, you can’t grow anything-especially people-in the wrong climate.Your management team must accept responsibility for creating and sustaining a work environment that is energized, focused and urgent. It’s a duty you can’t afford to take lightly or delegate.

1. INCREASE YOUR VISIBILITY & ACCESSIBILITY One of the most common traps leaders fall into is when they begin trying to lead from the rear rather than the front. They spend too much time locked in their office, head buried in reports, eyes glued to a computer and ears stuck to a telephone.When leaders become disconnected from their followers they don’t spend the time encouraging, praising, motivating, observing, guiding and leading necessary to create a winning environment. Isolated leaders lose touch with the needs of their people and by virtue of their absence, leave leadership for setting the workplace climate up for grabs.

Isolated leaders get blindsided more often because they aren’t tuned into vital day-today coaching and leading. Isolated leaders stop listening to others and lose influence with them. One of a leader’s most important tasks is to make daily “wander-arounds” an integral part of his routine. During these “wander-arounds” he should catch others doing things right, make a point to connect with the people in his department, encourage, direct, motivate, interact with customers, create positive focus, energy and momentum. If you’re having a bad day and aren’t capable of hiding it, don’t wander-around! You’ll make things worse.

Remember, it’s the leader’s job to go out and connect with his people on a daily basis: building relationships, listening to ideas and concerns, giving and receiving feedback and observing the operation with a keen eye looking out for ways to create or sustain momentum and improve all aspects of his business. A leader cannot do this when isolated. It’s hard to create energy and enthusiasm locked behind an

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office door. Winning leaders understand that having a real open door policy means that they walk through the open door and actively set the tone in their workplace. It’s a responsibility they take very seriously so they do it all day, every day.

Take a good look at your work environment. It’s a reflection of you. Go to work and create it every day. Don’t just let it “happen”. It’s too important to leave to chance.

2. MAKE DEPOSITS IN THE EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNTS OF YOUR PEOPLE Make Deposits in the Emotional Bank Accounts of Your People. Each of us has the equivalent of an emotional bank account and that everything a leader says to a co-worker makes either a deposit or withdrawal. Deposits are made when leaders listen, offer and seek feedback, encourage, motivate, praise, coach and train others. On the other hand, when a leader criticizes, corrects, reprimands, displays poor judgment or character, is unfair, sarcastic or acts inconsiderately, he makes a withdrawal from that account. It is important for a leader to be aware of the balance he has with each person he works with. When the balance is high, the leader maintains a positive and influential standing with the other person. However, when the balance is low, or overdrawn, the leader will create resentment and have only positional influence over someone else.

While it is sometimes necessary for leaders to make withdrawals, it’s also necessary for him to build the account back up. A good leader never allows his people to stay down for long. It’s also important to understand that withdrawals are taken out much

faster than deposits go in and they do not balance each other out on a one for one basis. In fact, it usually takes four deposits to balance out one withdrawal.

Your workplace will feel lifeless and uninspired if many people have low balances in their account with the leaders there. Leaders should be aware of doing what it takes to invest the necessary time and effort to maintain high balances within their people. They can do this in a number of ways: n Making deposits in person, during one on-ones or by making deposits in front of peers. They can focus on doing this during the “wander-arounds” explained prior. n Deposits can be made with positive notes, emails and voice-mails. (Withdrawals can be made in the same manner, so be careful.) n The most effective way to make deposits is by paying attention to the work your people are doing and to affirm it as it is happening. Delayed encouragement, recognition and praise are seriously diluted.

Praise individuals more than teams, as team praise is often diluted. Make a conscious effort to make deposits in your team.

Don’t let the “little things” pass without catching and recognizing them. Besides, when you are building people and creating an empowered workplace, there are no “little things.” Spend time at this week’s meeting having your managers determine what their balance is with their people and determine to go to work to build the balances in all their people. Making deposits is part of the daily discipline of every effective leader and it shows up in the climate of the workplace: so does failing to do so.

Becoming more visible and accessible, while being more focused on building your people with deposits in their emotional bank account will go a long way in transforming your workplace climate from indifferent and lifeless to focused and upbeat. However, you can’t stop there.

The third point to creating a wining environment: setting high expectations.

It’s the ingredient leaders need to add energy, urgency and added focus to the workplace.

3. Set A High Set Of Expectations Your job as a leader is not to make everyone warm and comfortable. Real leaders stretch people and if you’re not stretching, you’re not leading. A high set of expectations creates focus and energy all day, every day. Some businesses have the bar set so low their people keep tripping over it. Low expectations and standards allow people to pace themselves, to go through the motions and to coast. What are the expectations at your workplace?

Are they high enough? You must realize that the standards you set go a long way in determining the behavior of everyone working there. Here are a few areas to look at to gauge whether your expectations are high enough in your business: A. Do your people have specific activities they are expected to do each day, all day or are your managers spending too much time monitoring and controlling people at work to make sure they are “busy”?

B. When you hire new people, are

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18 TRAINING adequate expectations set up at the outset?

Do they know what minimum activities and performance levels they are expected to reach after different time intervals in the future: after sixty days, six months, one year, etc.?

C. Do your bonus programs and pay plans reward just-average performance or are your people required to stretch to reach them? Too many managers think bonuses are an entitlement for all workers. This sends the wrong message concerning standards and expectations. Your people should have to reach for bonuses and once they get them they should be well worth the effort. No one should be able to “sleepwalk” to a bonus. When you reward mediocrity, you insure you will get it again in the future.

D.What are your expectations for customer care, work ethic and integrity? Does everyone understand them? And are they high enough to keep everyone on their toes and compel them to go the extra mile to reach them?

E. Do your people focus on winning, winning big and winning often or do they just try not to lose? Winning leaders focus their people on the right things.

They stretch their people and enlarge their thinking. They know their job is not to “maintain” anyone. Their job is to help them become the best they can be.

This focus and attitude will define an environment and separate those wanting to “get by” from those intent on discovering their greatest potential.

4. Develop and Cast a Bold Vision for the Organization Any winning team has a big goal they focus on achieving together.This goal-or visionpermits workers to borrow inspiration they can put to use today. It must be easy to define and bold enough to inspire. The team must know what it will take to get there and what’s in it for them when they arrive. In order to be a credible force, the vision should be communicated at every opportunity because vision leaks. Remind people of the vision, the strategy and the payoff in meetings, during one-on-one coaching sessions, in company newsletters etc. Effective visions initially seem a bit out of reach and cause the team to stretch beyond what they normally would do in order to hit it. At first, an effective vision

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TRAINING 19 will often be more than the team thinks it can do and will require more effort than it is willing to put forth to reach.

However, once it is embodied by the leadership of the organization: when the leaders walk the talk and breathe life into the vision with sweat, passion, and constant communication, the followers normally get on board and a powerful momentum ensues.

Bold visions are effective in organizations because they add meaning to the workplace and give people a greater sense of purpose. Without meaningful work, life stinks! In vision-less work environments employees often go through the motions. Each day is just like the one before and the one before that. There is no driving force other than the paycheck and nothing exists to galvanize a team save occasional cheerleading from the boss.

People want more from their work. People want a mission, not a job and the vision helps fill that end. In addition to creating teamwork, added purpose, focus and energy, a bold vision is effective because of what it allows your people to become as they stretch toward it. That, perhaps, is more important than ever reaching the vision itself.

Here’s a test for your workplace: If you were to ask ten different people what the vision is for your organization would you get the same resounding answer, or ten different ones? If it’s the latter you have work to do. A huge opportunity waits if you’ll put in the work to develop and cast your vision to create a winning environment with a bold vision as its guiding star.

5. Fix Your Face This is not a physical issue; it’s an attitude issue. Nothing saps the life out of a workplace more than a leader with a bad attitude. A leader who gossips, complains, continually finds fault, wears a dour expression, shares personal problems with others, is sarcastic, profane or overly critical causes workers to dig deeper in their fox holes and do the bare minimum necessary to get by. When a leader is having a bad day no one should know about it. It’s the responsibility of good leadership. When things get tough good leaders suck it up and bear it they don’t put it on their sleeve and wear it-or share it. They know that

everything they say or do has the power to elevate or devastate, earn respect or lose it, enhance their presence or cheapen it. Good leaders stay above sharing their personal problems with subordinates. They know it diminishes their standing as a leader. Besides, mature leaders understand that 90% of the people don’t care about their problems and the other 10% are glad they’ve got them so there’s nothing to gain by talking about them! If people duck when they see you coming or take the long way to go around you it’s a clue that your attitude needs to improve and you need to grow up and start acting as a real leader, not just someone who happens to be in leadership position.

6. Admit Mistakes and Give Away Credit Leaders who can do both of these create incredible openness, loyalty and unselfishness. They also encourage others to do the same by their example, building teamwork and an environment where mistakes aren’t seen as life or death matters but as learning experiences and chances to grow. Besides, if your workplace treats mistakes as matters of life or death, your people will be dead a lot. And while good leaders freely give away credit, they also come down hard on those who take credit they don’t deserve. If you don’t, you will demonstrate that you cannot differentiate between good and poor performance and that will damage morale and injure your credibility as a leader.

The six steps in this series for creating a winning environment start with the leadership in your company. If your workplace isn’t as focused, positive, energized and filled with momentum as you would like, the leaders are to blame; not the followers. Go to work and begin shaping your work environment rather than being shaped by it. Remember, you can’t grow anything, especially people, in the wrong climate. n

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20 CASE STUDY

Amanda works towards a secure future With seven children and a menagerie of pets to look after, 35 year old Amanda Thompson from Pelton in Chester-le-Street, could be forgiven for putting her feet up at the end of a hard day’s work.

Yet, when she finally does get some time to herself Amanda takes to her studies so that she can secure her future and fulfil an ambition to become a prison officer.

Although Amanda took a few vocational courses after leaving school at 16, along with a recent maths qualification at Level 1 via the village school, it was a family dilemma which really unleashed her thirst for learning.

“My ten year old daughter Imogen is hard of hearing and we were told that she could become deaf as she gets older,” explained Amanda. “I enrolled on a deaf awareness and sign language course at New College Durham so that I could communicate with her and teach the rest of the family these valuable skills should we need them in the future.”

During her time at college Amanda’s tutor told her of an opportunity to have a skills check for maths and English. Following the check she enrolled on a Skills for Life course, funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East. As a result Amanda soon completed nationally recognised qualifications at Level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy. On top of that she has also gained a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 2 in Customer Services, Desk Top Publishing Qualifications at Levels 1 and 2

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and a European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) qualification which demonstrates her competence in computer skills.

At this point, however, it is the literacy and numeracy qualifications which are proving to be the most significant stepping stone to Amanda’s chosen career.

“To become a prison officer you need to have certain grades in maths and English, so I’m delighted to have those under my belt.

These are the skills which you need throughout life and which underpin everything that you do at home and at work. I tell my own children that they should continually learn to achieve their goals and I hope that I’m a good role model for them.

“Along with learning I have also joined the local gym to improve my fitness as well as gaining extra years to my life to spend with my children in their future. I believe it increases my levels of concentration to enable me to study harder to achieve my personal goals,” said Amanda.

Chris Roberts, regional director, LSC North East, added: “Amanda has a very busy life, but has still found the time and the motivation to progress her learning and her chosen career.

Having the right skills in place is very empowering. It gives you more choices in life, boosts your confidence and your earning potential.” n For more information on learning, call nextstep on 0800 027 7944 8am –8pm Monday to Friday or visit www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands

22 PROFOUND SERVICES

PROFOUND SERVICES 23

Fulfilling the demands of today.

Anticipating the demands of tomorrow.

Profound Services: the right solutions for you Profound Services will be celebrating the start of its third year in business by implementing huge expansion plans to deliver its services nationally.

The company – which offers training, bespoke training and recruitment solutions – is set to open offices in Yorkshire and the East Midlands initially, before a national roll-out across the UK. Profound offers a recruitment service for permanent jobs across a variety of sectors including hotel and leisure, management positions and transport opportunities - which has recently included the recruitment of East European taxi drivers.

However, it is the training side of the business which has put them en route to becoming a nationally recognised organisation.

Working alongside Go Skills (Sector skills Council for Passenger Transport) one of Profound’s specialisms is delivering training to the transport industry with the company’s bespoke taxi driver training packages in huge demand across the North East.

“Taxi drivers are a crucial part of any region’s economy – often the first point of contact for tourists – as such we are striving to offer packages tailored to their needs. These can be stand alone or as part of an NVQ” said Steven Ward, managing director of Profound Services.

“The packages include training on local knowledge, disability awareness, customer service, health and safety and first aid. But we also offer support to the taxi company owners to ensure they have the right policies and procedures in place.” He said.

Having responded to the demands of the taxi industry, Profound has recruited East European drivers and where they are concerned, Profound ensures that not only do the drivers receive a high standard of training but that support is given in other areas such as CRB checks, sourcing accommodation and assisting with tax and national insurance issues.

The company is the first of its kind to complete NVQ training of this nature in the Darlington, Durham and Blyth areas – with fantastic feedback from the taxi companies involved and demands for further training for other drivers.

Profound is also on track to deliver the Back To Work scheme, working with regional job centres to advertise, shortlist, interview and employ taxi drivers. This scheme will see drivers receive pre-

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employment training while going through CRB checks before moving on to NVQ training once employed.

The company aims to roll out this training scheme nationally and the management team at Profound are currently negotiating a number of deals outside the region.

Other transport specialisms include training as part of the new CPC (certificate of professional competence) legislation. Now mandatory for all bus and coach drivers - and set to become law for haulage companies by September 2009 - Profound already provides training for this certificate across the North East, with plans to expand and deliver outside the region.

This family-run business has come a long way since managing director Steven Ward started the company with sons Brian and Gary in October 2006. Two years on and Profound currently employs 25 staff but with these exciting plans in the pipeline this figure is forecast to double over the course of the next six months.

“Our ultimate objective is to open a Profound Training Academy with satellite offices across the country” said Steven.

“Now that we are negotiating deals outside the North East and are looking at opening our first two satellite offices, that objective is starting to become a reality. I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved in a relatively short period of time – and incredibly excited about the future” he said.

For more information on Profound Services contact 0191 5878161 or visit www.profoundservices.com n Profound Services, Novus Business Centre, Judson Road, Peterlee, Co Durham SR8 2QJ. Tel: +44 (0) 191 587 8161 Fax: +44 (0) 191 587 8163 info@profoundservices.com

Transport Training Programmes NVQ Level 2 Road Passenger Vehicle Driving BTEC VRQ Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire MIDAS Passenger Assistant Training Scheme (PATS) Driver Disability Awareness Recruitment and Training Academy Training Portfolio Leadership and Management Pre-employment Programmes Quality Assurance Fork Lift Training Environmental Issues One-day ‘drop in’ courses First Aid Manual Handling Food Hygiene Health & Safety

Back to work scheme...

Profound are in discussions with the taxi industry to open a ‘onestop-shop’ driver recruitment and training academy. This groundbreaking concept is being well received within the industry with minimal or no costs to the taxi company or recruited drivers.

We are currently in discussions with job centers, local authorities, taxi associations, and taxi companies across the region prior to introducing our training and recruitment academy for the taxi industry.

The concept is for Profound to provide qualified drivers to the industry via our new recruitment and training academy. This will consist of a six-week funded training and development programme starting with a rigorous interview and selection process.

We plan to work closely with local job centers and taxi companies to ensure we recruit highly committed candidates who are looking for a career in taxi driving. Once selected, recruits will join the academy and benefit from high quality training and development.

Profound are an LSC Train to Gain approved provider and NVQ accredited centre. As an ESF contract holder, we also offer pre-employment training schemes to meet the needs of our employability and work placement programmes.

Our package will include Interview and selection CRB application Driver medical Driver badging VRQ classroom based Taxi Training Placement into employed or self-employed positions Post employment training.

To find out more about any of our courses please contact us.

Profound Training, Profound Services, Novus Business Centre, Judson Road Industrial Estate, Peterlee, CO Durham SR8 2QJ. Tel: +44 (0)191 587 8161 Fax: +44 (0)191 587 8163 www.profoundservices.com

To find out more about our recruitment services please contact us.

Profound Recruitment, Profound Services, Novus Business Centre, Judson Road Industrial Estate, Peterlee, Co Durham SR8 2QJ. Tel: +44 (0)191 587 8161 Fax: +44 (0)191 587 8163 www.profoundservices.com

Profound Services Profound Services is a rapidly expanding, dynamic company. We are currently recruiting for key positions within the company to help us progress our exciting plans for national expansion.

Head of Commercial Training: To further develop the commercial training arm of the company.

Key responsibilities will include: people management, consolidation of the Certificate of Professional Competence, financial management (budget control), strategic planning and partnership management.

NVQ AssessorS To deliver a highly customer focussed assessment service to a variety of candidates undertaking NVQs within the taxi industry. The successful applicant will need to demonstrate a high level of occupational competence and the ability to work flexibly and use their initiative to solve problems and instigate solutions.

If you are ambitious, driven, and looking for a career not just a job we want to hear from you.

Contact Ian Grigg at Profound Services or email info@profoundservices.com Profound Services, Novus Business Centre, Judson Road Industrial Estate, Petered. Co Durham SR8 2QJ.Tel: +44(0)191 5878161

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24 FEATURE

FEATURE 25

Does Training Really Pay?

One of the most common arguments against spending money on training is that it’s hard to quantify. Weak managers use this reasoning to justify their failure to invest meaningfully in their people. Discuss the following recent studies with your managers this week and reexamine your commitment to investing in your best assets: people.

1. The recent University Study compiled 3200 companies that increased spending for training and capital expenditures by 10%. The results showed that the boost in training expense returned an 8.5% increase in overall productivity where the same increased spending in capital expenditures brought forth an increase of just 3.8%. In other words, additional money spent on training returned an investment of over 2-1 funds spent on capital expenditures.

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2. Andersen Consulting found in a ten-year study that the stock market value of firms considered well-led (They got that way through leadership training and mentoring.) rose by over 900%. In that same time period, the stock price of companies regarded as lacking in good leadership increased by only 74%. Investing in leadership training returned nearly 13 times the value to well-led companies over those that did not develop leaders.

One of the key differences between someone heavy in a manager’s mind set and one who is heavy in a leadership mindset is that the manager is focused more on the cost of doing something-like training-than the cost for not doing it. Leaders understand the cost to their companies of having their people not developing the skills, not attending the courses; not obtaining the knowledge, is far more costly than the price for investing in the training.

Which outlook do you focus on? Managers that can find reasons not to invest in their people are a penny a dozen. It’s easy to say ‘no.’ It’s easy to find reasons not to do something.

It takes vision and commitment to invest heavily in people, to believe in them, to invest today for something that may or may not deliver an immediate return tomorrow. But leaders understand that one of their prime responsibilities is to

take the human capital they’re entrusted with and make it more valuable for tomorrow; that developing others to their potential is the highest calling of leadership.

As a management team, reassess your attitude and commitment to training.What can you do to take it to another level? If you want your business to change you must start by changing its people. And training them more completely and effectively is the most productive way to create change from the inside out. n

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26 CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY 27

Dial-A-Trained Workforce Workforce development has proved to be the driving force behind a South Tyneside taxi company’s success in winning some important new contracts.

South Shields based Dial-A-Cab, which employs 75 drivers in South Tyneside, has seen huge benefits for both its staff and the business as a result of staff training through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East Train to Gain service.

Train to Gain, which celebrates its second anniversary this month, ensures that flexible, responsive training is delivered to meet employers’ needs through an independent brokerage service which offers impartial advice to match training needs to local learning providers. A core element of the service is the access to appropriate funding of qualifications from Skills for Life right through to higher education.

Since it was launched two years ago, Train to Gain has engaged 5,510 employers across the North East and has helped 17,711 learners achieve a whole range of qualifications.

Some 15 of Dial-A-Cab’s drivers completed training through Train to Gain in a number of areas including hazard awareness, disability awareness and fire evacuation.They then went on to achieve NVQ’s in Load Passenger Vehicle Driving. Another 28 drivers are just about to start their training with more to benefit in the coming months.

Dial-A-Cab and training provider Prima training worked closely with the drivers, who usually find it difficult to fit training in around their unusual working hours. Prima Training was able to fit all training and assessment in with the shifts of the drivers, which sometimes even included delivering assessments at two or three o’clock in the morning!

The improvement in the driver’s knowledge and skills has helped the company win new contracts, including South Tyneside Hospital, where they are now the main taxi supplier and where they have their number linked to the in-hospital telephone systems so that people can ‘Dial-a-Can’ from within the hospital.

The company is also now a recognised member of the South Tyneside Taxi Link association due to improved staff training, which enables it to offer discounts to disabled and elderly customers, funded by the association.

Dial-A-Cab owner Ian Tate said: “We’ve see huge benefits through Train to Gain, not just through getting new contracts as a result in having more professional and qualified staff, but in the attitude of the drivers as well.

“As well as transporting their passengers, the drivers are also looking after them. Undergoing this training has made the drivers a lot more conscious about the health and safety of their passengers and has provided a fantastic opportunity for them. I have actively encouraged all of our staff to take part in this training.

Chris Roberts, Regional Director, LSC North East, said:“Since Train to Gain was launched, it has helped thousands of employers and learners across the North East. In today’s economic climate, it is even more important than ever for employers to invest in training to ensure they have a workforce equipped with the skills they need to be competitive.

“Train to Gain helps employees meet their full potential and businesses boost productivity and ultimately reach their business goals.” n

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Employee Paul Mills with trainer Doug Robinson

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28 MOBILE CARE QUALIFICATIONS

CASE STUDY 29

Responding to the Health & Social Care Sector

Training Provision has changed over recent years and even more so with the advent of Train to Gain. The emphasis has moved from solely focusing on the student but to assisting Employers with their long term Business and Skills Development. MCQ or Mobile Care Qualifications have found that responding to Employers needs involved a lot of Business Development of their own.

Wellburn Care Homes Ltd are a successful family run Care provider based in the North East with whom MCQ have been engaged with for many years, providing level 2-4 NVQ qualifications and Health & Social Care training through Apprenticeships and Train to Gain Programmes. Their particular development plans included opening in the North Yorkshire Region and as such have recently opened four new facilities around the York area. MCQ have maintained their service to them over the last year delivering the quality of training the Employer has come to expect. However, with no regional contract in place MCQ had to make a decision.

“It wasn’t a hard decision to be honest; it fitted in with our current plans to make MCQ a more responsive training provider. We successfully tendered for a Train to Gain contract in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region which allows us to actually follow the employers own development plan and locate in the NorthYorkshire area. I feel this is exceptional responsiveness and should benefit both Companies in the long run.”

Nunthorpe Nurseries Group are the biggest provider of Childcare in the North East and MCQ proposed to accommodate their training needs through the Apprenticeship Programme and Train to Gain. “This company are a successful childcare provider

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already focussed on quality and committed to training, it was not enough to just turn up with a list of qualifications we deliver.”

Both Companies sat down and found a solution which again supported both of our Business Development plans. “We found that this Employer had space available on one of their sites in Middlesbrough, we opened a Training Centre in there and they effectively became our landlords! In my opinion you cannot be more responsive; this employer now has a Training facility next door which accommodates their NVQ in Children’s Care Learning & Development needs from level 2 to level 4 along with shorter courses. We have also established a healthy apprenticeship programme which helps with the Groups recruitment.” This has enabled MCQ to develop a presence in the South of the Region in line with its own development plan.

MCQ provide Train to Gain or Apprenticeship funded training within the Health & Social Care Sector. Their most popular qualifications consist of : n Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships in both Care or Childcare n NVQ Level 2 through to Level 4 Health & Social Care n NVQ Level 4 Leadership and Management for Care Services n NVQ Level 2 Support Services in Health Care n NVQ Level 2 through to Level 4 Children’s Care Learning & Development n Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy

Learning gives Lynn food for thought After working in the London hospitality and catering trade for seven years, 46 year old Lynn Dunn from Dormanstown was happy to head back up north to start a family. Yet when Lynn was ready to go back to work she found herself with quite a lot on her plate.

As a single Mum with three sons to support, Lynn was unemployed for over six years. Luckily her recipe for success came in the form of a chance to work towards a nationally recognised qualification and a job that she loves.

“I was browsing at my local Jobcentre when I was told how I could improve my employment prospects by checking my English and maths skills and bringing them up to date if I needed to,” said Lynn.

Although the result of Lynn’s literacy assessment was very positive, she soon recognised that her numeracy skills could do with a boost. With no hesitation she enrolled on a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East funded Skills for Life course and run by Pertemps Training in Redcar.

Telephone: 0191 2653003 Fax: 0191 2241260 E Mail: train@mcq.co.uk Web: www.mcq.co.uk n

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30 CASE STUDY Taking the training course in her stride, Lynn is now the proud owner of an OCR Certificate in Adult Literacy at Level 1. But the real icing on the cake was when she was offered a job back in the world of catering and hospitality.

As a result Lynn now works as a catering assistant for Taylor Shaw Catering, based at the Wilton Centre in Redcar. Here she is part of a team of people who facilitate and manage the catering needs of over 30 organisations which are based at the business centre.

The busy squad do everything from running the Wilton Centre restaurant through to organising working lunches, buffets and formal dinners and arranging teas and coffees for meetings.

They also have a number of external contracts, such as providing lunches for some schools in the local area.

“I wish people could just realise the confidence that you get from training and gaining qualifications. It has certainly spurred me on to updating my skills and getting a good job.

NCFE 31 “I encourage my sons to take learning seriously as having the right skills gives you a lot more choices in life. I think the message has already got through to my eldest son who is at college training to be a plumber,” continued Lynn.

Chris Roberts, regional director, LSC North East, added: “Having a good command of English and maths opens a lot of doors, whether it’s a means to further learning, getting a first job or a step up the career ladder.

“People shouldn’t be embarrassed to ask for help if they need it. There are hundreds of Skills for Life courses available in the North East. Many people use these courses to update what they learnt at school, prove that they’ve got what it takes, or gain formal recognition for what they already know.” n For more information on learning, call nextstep on 0800 027 7944 8am –8pm Monday to Friday or visit www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands

NCFE - a fresh approach to awarding Have you ever wondered what our offer is for Train to Gain? Ever wanted to know what our full level 2 and 3 qualifications are? Do you want to know why our customers enjoy working with us?

We’ve put together a new booklet called A Fresh Approach to Awarding which outlines all of the above as well as information on Apprenticeships,Workforce Development and Skills for Life.

If you’d like someone from NCFE to visit your centre to discuss any of this, our Business Development team is available to

all of our centres as well as any centres who are interested in working with us. Go to www.ncfe.org.uk/localcontact to find out who your nearest contact is.

To download a copy of the Fresh Approach to Awarding booklet go to our website www.ncfe.org.uk or call 0191 239 8000.

NCFE Spectator Safety NVQs We’re pleased to announce that our Level 2 NVQ in Spectator Safety is being delivered by Learning Curve JAA Limited, a Durham-based private training provider who work nationally.

“I encourage my sons to take learning seriously as having the right skills gives you a lot more choices in life”

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The Level 2 Spectator Safety qualification is ideal for people working as stewards and marshals at spectator events, especially those who are interested in working in a sports stadium or similar venue.

The course aims to teach learners how to prepare for spectator events, manage potential conflict, monitor the spectators and deal with crowd problems including accidents and emergencies.

Ann Johnson, Operations Director of Learning Curve, said: “We have been working with NCFE now for a number of years and we continue to be impressed with the high level of support and quality of service. We would strongly recommend their products and services to others in the sector. ”We think the Spectator Safety qualification will prove popular and be very useful to learners interested in a career in this field.”

NCFE also offers Spectator Safety

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&Young People) Level 3 Health & Social Care (Adults) Level 4 Health & Social Care (Children & Young People) Level 4 Health & Social Care (Adults) Level 3 Occupational Health & Safety Level 4 Occupational Health & Safety Practice Level 2 Instructing Exercise & Fitness Level 3 Instructing Physical Activity & Exercise

To find out more about all of our NVQs please call Paul Turner, NVQ Sector Leader, on 0191 239 8076 or email paulturner@ncfe.org.uk.

NVQs at Level 3 and Level 4. We also offer the following NVQsn Level 2 Health & Social Care n Level 3 Health & Social Care (Children

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32 CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY 33

David delivers logistics success

“He’s worked extremely hard to complete his course and carry out the service review and we’ve very quickly seen the benefit so the learning award was thoroughly deserved” www.theskillspledge.com

Rescuing a royal boating holiday and helping a major oil company to avoid £1 million worth of lost production are stand out points in the CV of award winning warehouse manager David Haines.

Racing precision parts to the Mediterranean in less than 24 hours ensured the European monarch –who can’t be named for contractual reasons - and his guests could enjoy a few days at sea while the specialist tubing rushed to a North Sea rig kept the oil flowing.

Such are the achievements of the new logistics services which David has introduced at Teesside Fluid Systems Technologies in Aycliffe, County Durham.

And just for good measure he picked up South West Durham Training’s Adult Learner of the Year title after completing a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East funded NVQ Level 3 in Warehousing and Distribution in just three months.

David, 47 and from Darlington, was encouraged to return to learning for the first time in over a decade by his managing director Barry Waller who said: “He’s done a fantastic job for us, driving our delivery performance to over 99%.

It was always in the mid to high nineties but we are constantly looking to do better by taking advantage of the training provision and support which is available.

Personal development and continual improvement are the cornerstones of our business

structure and David’s achievement is a great testimony to our company ethos.

“He’s worked extremely hard to complete his course and carry out the service review and we’ve very quickly seen the benefit so the learning award was thoroughly deserved.”

Said David: “It was ten years since I’d done any kind of formal training and that was just basic IT stuff so I was a little nervous at first but I needn’t have been. The course was fantastic and really helped me to carry out the review of our systems which has driven up performance to the highest levels we’ve ever achieved.”

Chris Roberts, regional director, LSC North East, said: “To succeed in increasingly competitive global markets businesses need to be constantly improving performance. The best way to do this is though developing the skills of staff and this case clearly demonstrates the benefits that this can bring.”

Teesside Fluid Systems Technologies Ltd. is an exclusive authorised distributor for Swagelok, a $1.3 billion, privately-held company which designs, manufactures, and delivers fluid system products and solutions globally through a sales and service network with over 200 centers in 57 countries on six continents.

The operation on the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Park is one of these centres, providing a range of specialist tubing, valves and gauges to customers in the oil, gas, petrochemical, processing and power generation industries. n

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34 WEST NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COLLEGE

WEST NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COLLEGE 35 EXAMPLE CASE STUDY: Construction Equipment Manufacturer

Background

West Nottinghamshire College - Dedicated to Business Support We can improve your bottom line – that’s West Nottinghamshire College’s pledge to local, regional and national employers.

The College has a proud track record of making a real difference to businesses, thanks to our groundbreaking workforce development programmes.

We’re one of the largest Train to Gain providers in the country, with half of our turnover coming from workplace training – whether through work-based Apprenticeships or Train to Gain.

We specialise in working with large employers across a range of sectors – namely Construction, Engineering, Transport and Logistics, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Leisure, Business and Management and Skills for Life.

By identifying your key issues and strategies for improvement, we can design and deliver bespoke training programmes to re-skill and up-skill your workforce – helping you to stay ahead of the competition.

And because the College has secured more Train to Gain and work-based Apprenticeship funding than ever before, we can minimise the cost to your business.

The case study opposite showcases the impact the College can have in designing programmes that achieve your business objectives while delivering nationally-recognised qualifications. n

To find out how West Nottinghamshire College can improve your bottom line, contact Graham Howe, Director of Employer Engagement, on 01623 413376 or email graham.howe@wnc.ac.uk

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The company began working with the College on the basis of a recommendation from Rolls Royce, who described their approach to working with employers as “flexible, adaptable, innovative and focussed on delivery”.

The company had established its own Production Process System (PPS) and had already explored the use of Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) to support this.

The company’s aim was to map their PPS to BIT in a much more formal way and to link this to the provision of NVQ accreditation for staff.

While the company has played a lead role in driving the manufacturing skills curriculum with the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing (NSAM), it was not in a position to have its training approved by NSAM. A key aspiration of working with the College was to close the development circle by getting training approved by the training academy it had supported as a lead organisation.

The company recently conducted an Employer Opinion Survey and found that while engineers were happy with the training they received (where investment is driven by statutory requirements and the requirements of new technologies and processes) staff on the shop floor needed broader, more structured and more continuous development.

Working with the College, the company has set out to provide access to learning for every employee.

The company asked the College to help in the following areas: n Establish a flexible approach to the delivery of BIT; n Provide intensive support for individual learners in building their NVQ portfolios; n NVQs for employees who have not historically received regular development opportunities; n Improved scores on Employer Opinion Surveys (on employee development and training engagement themes); n Give staff the skills to support the company’s Rapid Improvement strategy (see below).

Ultimately, impact will be measured in terms of Key Performance Indicators relating to the company’s Six Sigma (Kaizen) based rapid improvement plans: n Increased efficiency (improved production velocity, improved Return On Assets); n A better safety record (fewer accidents); n Improvements in quality (few rejected products).

Assessment of the value and effectiveness of the intervention to date Evidence at this stage relates to gains in terms of transfer of learning to the workplace: n Over the past 9 months the company and College have put 183 people through the NVQ;

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There is already a clearer development path within the company – and development is seen as straightforward and easy to access; Some people (particularly those who left formal education with few qualifications) believed they needed a high level of written English to achieve a qualification, but the College team presented the NVQ as a non-threatening development opportunity; People believe they are capable of achieving – this is a significant change for these learners and, in the view of the company, an important quick win; The company is scoring 15% higher for training on the Employer Opinion Survey; While there are factors at play other than the company’s relationship with the College, company leaders see this work as “the glue holding the whole development process together”;

Staff who have been with the company for 40 years have accepted the value of the training because it has been presented as relevant to them, and they have been reassured the right kind of support is available from College staff.

Reflections on the partnership with the College n The company felt the College’s assessors were excellent – well trained and knowledgeable; n The level of support went well beyond the company’s expectations; n The company felt the College were highly committed to making things happen on time and to the required standard. n The College worked with West Notts in a series of workshops which have helped the two organisations understand each other’s processes; n Assessors were flexible and adaptable – these qualities led the company to view the College as its most effective development partner; n The College team bought an “infectious enthusiasm” to the intervention, which supported the selling of training to the pilot cohort of learners.

These people have, in turn, supported the internal marketing of learning – particularly the marketing of NVQ qualifications.

The future n

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The company is negotiating to include agency staff in development activities, to ensure improvements in quality, safety and efficiency across the company; There will be opportunities for the College to work with other organisations in the company’s supply chain: The company would welcome the opportunity to highlight this approach to planning development to other companies in the UK engineering-manufacturing sector: In the spirit of paying back UK Plc for the investment made on the company, it would like to share its development experiences with engineering SMEs.

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36 TRAINING

TRAINING 37

The Nine Steps to Operational Heaven

It’s a little known fact that there are nine steps to operational heaven. As irrevocably as there are ten commandments or twelve apostles, there are nine rules that can be applied to performance measurements in order to reach a CRM religious zenith or state of business nirvana.

Managers often rely on performance measurements to provide the figures they need to convince the board that they are getting value for money for their investment and to make sure that all staff are pulling their weight.

However, many businesses do not maximise this because they have no performance measurement strategy in place. They have not asked themselves why they are measuring what they’re measuring or how it helps them achieve their objectives.There are also so many things to measure it’s difficult to know where to start.

And, naturally, each strategy will vary from business to business.

Below is a nine-step guide to building an effective strategy and the tools to show you how to maintain your improved performance once you’re there. And that’s the gospel truth.

1. Visualise your goals Before defining your strategy, you need a vision of what you want to achieve. Directors say “we want to be world class”, but do they really understand what that means? Make your vision realistic

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and tangible.Your vision doesn’t have to be god-like. How much difference could a one point increase make to your bottom line?

It’s achievable, instantly visible, and not asking staff for much.

2. Build measures around your vision Measure what’s relevant to your business. You get what you measure, so think about what the business is trying to achieve. If it’s to produce quality volume sales, then think about what you should measure to achieve this.

3. Remember, KPIs aren’t targets Let’s dispel a myth. A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measure, not a target. Staff frequently refer to their targets as KPIs. This is wrong because it focuses on what they’re trying to achieve rather than how they achieve it. Managers are equally guilty. They manage results instead of driving performance — setting targets without analysing what factors might impact on performance.

4. Link measures to your bonus scheme Because KPIs drive behaviour, you must get your measures right.

One travel company once said, “We developed a bonus scheme based on conversion rates against key products and ancillaries.

We forgot about volume and quality measures and this drove the

wrong behaviours.” Staff either raced through calls to ‘cherry pick’ the best sales opportunities or spent ages on each call exploring every avenue. Effective selling went out the window. The solution was a major change programme and a robust set of KPIs that more effectively measured staff performance. Behaviours then changed immediately.

5. Motivate your employees There are many ways to do this and the good news is that the best incentives don’t necessarily cost money. You might think that all employees are angelic and heavenly, but some staff would in fact prefer incentives like Ipods, CD players, or opportunities for long lunch hours, late starts and early finishes. Letters of thanks from the managing director, team manager forfeits and games on the sales floor can be just as motivating as the latest must-have electronic gadget. Ask your staff what motivates them, and encourage team managers to be energetic and creative.

Often, just showing staff how their performance impacts the business can have a startling effect. Show them how the measures they are being targeted against support the goals of the business.

In a sense, let the mountain come to Mohammed. If you regularly communicate how they are doing as individuals and also how the business is performing, you’ll create a greater sense of purpose,

which will benefit your bottom line in the long run.

6. Use your managers effectively Team managers hold the key to staff motivation. Make sure they receive training and coaching in leadership and motivation skills, so that they understand how to keep people enthused, committed and interested in the job. If not, this will lead to a higher level of staff attrition.

7. Maintain a balance Focusing on a single KPI can have a negative impact. If staff are targeted only on conversion rates, they’ll work out a strategy for maximising their bonus, like the ‘cherry-picking’ staff at the travel company.

Each role should have different KPIs, balanced between: n quantitative operational measures (output per hour/per productive hour) n qualitative operational measures (quality) n financial measures (conversion rate, average order value) n regulatory measures (adherence to legislative procedures) n management control measures (adherence to shifts, breaks)

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38 TRAINING

BALTICTRAINING SERVICES 39

THE FUTURE OF LEARNING Total Logistics is Baltic Trainings unique tailor made package which will give your company specific training focused on your company needs. This training will run alongside a nationally recognised vocational qualification. The NVQs on offer are: n NVQ Level 2 Carry and Deliver Goods n NVQ Level 2 Distribution, Warehousing & Storage Operations n NVQ Level 2 Traffic Office These NVQs will cover specific areas of your employee’s daily tasks and tie in with the training.

In addition to the NVQ your employees will undertake 15 hours of bespoke training, these training course’s can be adapted and changed to suit your business needs.

Total Logistics NVQ Level 2 plus the courses below: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

SAFED Driving Awareness Manual Handling Customer Service Total

4hrs 4hrs 4hrs 4hrs 16hrs

Baltic Street, Hartlepool TS25 1PW T: 01429 852135 F: 01429 852385 E: info@baltictraining.com

Measure what’s relevant to your business. You get what you measure, so think about what the business is trying to achieve 8. Understand what drives performance There’s a big difference between measuring performance and understanding what drives it. To use a motoring analogy, it’s the difference between seeing a warning light on the dashboard of your car, and looking under the bonnet to investigate the cause.

From a sales perspective, if you set a target of eight calls per hour and suddenly that drops to three or soars to eleven, your warning light should flash. Then you need to look under the bonnet. Are staff taking too long to wrap up calls? Are they bothering to take customers through the features and benefits? Or was there an outbreak of food poisoning after lunch?

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9. Once you’ve reached your target — maintain it Successful organisations focus their efforts in three key areas: staff retention, staff motivation and making performance maintenance and improvement someone’s job. High staff turnover is costly, both in terms of recruitment and the resultant dips in performance. If you can hang on to your staff, you’re well on the way to operational heaven. If not, you could always pray for help. n

www.baltictraining.com

Total Logistics is Baltic Trainings unique tailor made package which will give your company specific training focused on your company needs www.theskillspledge.com

40 CASE STUDY:ASDA

CASE STUDY:ASDA 41

Baltic Training Services have formed a partnership with ASDA who are based on Magna Park in Lutterworth, Leicester. We have concentrated on their Transport and Logistical needs as this is an over looked sector across the UK, we are currently delivering NVQs in three key areas of ASDAs operation, their drivers, traffic offices and their warehouse.

The valued colleagues at ASDA have been given the opportunity to do an NVQ level 2 in Warehousing and Storage, Traffic Office and Carry and Deliver Goods. Work based learning means no necessary homework or the need to attend a college, all the delivery is done by their own internal assessment team who working closely with Baltic Training are too gaining qualifications to become qualified Assessors.

Baltic Training’s intention is to have a long and successful partnership with ASDA addressing their business needs and helping them achieve their goals in developing their colleagues and addressing their training needs.

Through City and Guilds every colleague at ASDA will receive a nationally recognised qualification within their specific sector.

If you are employed in the Transport and Logistics sector and think that Baltic training can help you then please see below and contact us today, after all we are “the future of learning”. n

“We are really looking forward to starting our NVQ’s with Baltic Training. Some of our colleagues have done NVQ’s previously and have enjoyed the experience. We see it as a great opportunity for our colleagues to get a nationally recognised qualification for the job that they do. It’s a way to reward and recognise the experience, knowledge and great service that our colleagues deliver, day in, day out.”

“Baltic training have worked closely with us and responded to our requirements by being really flexible. This has really helped when making arrangements to deliver this learning in a fast paced transport environment. This is the first time we have offered an NVQ for our transport clerks and it’s a great opportunity for colleagues in different parts of the business to gain the qualification.”

Emma Pearson, of Midlands Transport at ASDA Lutterworth

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“We are delighted to be able offer our hard working warehouse colleagues the opportunity to gain a nationally accredited qualification in the warehouse and storage NVQ level 2.”

“We have found Baltic Training to be both professional and very thorough in their approach and explanation of what is required and the training needed for our colleagues to gain the NVQ 2 Qualification.”

Mick Smith, Training Co-ordinator, Asda Lutterworth ADC.

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42 INTERVIEW

North East Ambassadors for Skills

INTERVIEW 43 The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East has enlisted the help of a group of key influencers as part of its drive to upskill the region’s workforce.

The Skills Ambassadors role is to promote the value of investing in skills to other employers across the North East. Each individual has been selected for their ability to influence the business and wider community about the benefits of skills and they will work to ensure that all employers are aware of the help that is available to them through the Skills Pledge, the Train to Gain service and the Apprenticeship programme.

The North East Skills Ambassadors are: n James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of North East Chamber of Commerce and LSC North East Chair n Mick Brodie, Chief Executive, North East Regional Employers Organisation (NEREO) n Ian Young, Managing Director,TDR Training Ltd n Gordon Bennett, NVQ Training Manager at NECT Training, Esh Group n Paul Callaghan, Chair, Leighton Group n Keith Hunter, Managing Director, TTE Technical Training James Ramsbotham recently gave his views on his hopes and aspirations for the region, as it strives to grow and develop the talents and skills of young people and adults to better meet the needs of employers, and the region’s skills needs.

What do you want to achieve as a Skills Ambassador?

I want to persuade more North East employers of the benefits of engaging in skills development.

Too many businesses still believe training isn’t their responsibility. They must wake up and not expect someone else to do it for them. As the fastest growing region in the country we’re beginning to encounter skills shortages. We must banish the North East’s malaise that the public sector will sort it out. The private sector is now in control and has to forge its own future.

What are your main aims and objectives within this new role?

It is important to encourage business to actively engage in skills development. They should; make the Skills Pledge, understand the benefits of apprentices and realise why they should strive to develop workforce skills. Quite rightly NVQ level 2 is the benchmark, but to be world class, our workforce must be skilled up to level 3 or 4. Every

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business must buy into the culture of continuous learning at every level. If a business doesn’t train staff then a huge opportunity is missed.

What skills challenges face the region?

The biggest challenge isn’t necessarily the type of training available, but how it’s promoted.

That’s why we need Skills Ambassadors. We must support the LSC’s work to spread the message.

This will instil greater acceptance of the culture change by employers. It will also help get the message across to young people that training leads to huge opportunities.

Is enough support available for businesses wanting to increase their workforces’ skills?

Although businesses are aware of the options, the misguided perception that training is high maintenance and impractical remains. Actually, employers are in control and can source training to suit their needs. Businesses should ask for what they want, be it Train to Gain or any other programme. Training providers in this region can provide the skills matrix employers want.

What advice would you give to business leaders to compete successfully regionally, nationally and internationally?

Businesses are particularly good at ensuring everything inanimate works to the maximum – such as machinery or floor space. The same focus isn’t given to their workforce through maximising training opportunities. Motivated people work harder, faster and longer.Those who feel looked after and encouraged become better employees. That is what business leaders should take on board.

If you could be granted one wish as a Skills Ambassador, what would it be?

The biggest tool in the fight for change is public procurement. One of the quality benchmarks in procurement should be a minimum workforce training quota. I don’t see why this should differ from declaring compliance with health and safety legislation. I would like to think that businesses wouldn’t get contracts until they made the Skills Pledge.

What are your future priorities, both as Chief Executive of the NECC and as a LSC North East Skills Ambassador?

My main priority is for every business and person in the region to be the best.You can only do that if you receive the best training possible. n

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Building the Blocks for the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow

44 CASE STUDY

With Enterprise Week drawing closer the Federation of Small Businesses are delighted to be working closely with young enterprise and were present at one of the pre-cursor events held in the region. Stuart Thompson who sits on the FSB Policy Committee attended the event to give expert advice and guidance to the students.

Stuart worked with two schools from Hartlepool and provided them with advice on whether the tact that was been taken would be feasible in the working business world.

The FSB will be heavily involved in Enterprise Week and will be running a two day event with Make Your Mark which will centre on the Keep Trade Local campaign. This FSB campaign ‘Keep Trade Local’ has been an ongoing theme throughout the year and encourages small businesses to work together locally for their mutual benefit.

Should you wish to get involved with the FSB, Keep Trade Local or Enterprise Week, please contact David Longstaff, the North East Regional Organiser on david. longstaff@fsb.org.uk n Colin Stratton, North East FSB Regional Chairman

Wearside boss put to the test The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East has put some leading figures from the region’s business community to the test as part of an initiative to demonstrate the importance of learning.

The LSC North East’s Summer of Skills will celebrate people’s achievements as well as signposting where to go for help to learn new skills or further develop existing ones.

Paul Callaghan, founder of The Leighton Group, was among those who completed part of an A-Level General Studies paper to help him to understand some of the challenges faced by young people today as they progress from school into work.

Olympic medallist and TV celebrity

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Roger Black visited Paul at his Sunderland offices to reveal how Paul had fared and meet some of his workforce. Paul, who has a clutch of Masters Degrees from the Universities of Salford and Newcastle, as well as a degree from the London School of Economics, found the A-Level paper challenging.

Paul Callaghan, said:“It was challenging but very satisfying to have a go at a recent exam paper. Boosting an individual’s skills benefits a team as a whole and therefore adds strength to a business which is crucial as it strives to make its mark in today’s competitive commercial world. Improving staff skills brings gains to employers as well as the employees themselves” Chris Roberts, regional director, LSC North East, said: “There is a variety

of courses to suit people with a wide range of abilities who would like develop their talents further. We hope turning the spotlight on the range of learning initiatives available, through the Summer of Skills campaign, will encourage even more people to take advantage of them and reach their full potential.”

Roger Black said: “Learning is a continual process and you are never too old or too young to learn new skills.

“The LSC North East’s Summer of Skills is a great way of getting this message across and Paul Callaghan should be applauded for getting involved and agreeing to be put to the test.” n More information on the Summer of Skills can be found at www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands

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46 FEATURE

“The most important thing is to serve hot food hot and cold food cold” - J.W. Marriott

FEATURE 47

Become Brilliant in the Basics Mr. Marriott was right. What good does it do for a restaurant to spend millions on a facility if the food isn’t hot, the waiter doesn’t smile or the floor isn’t swept? How foolish for a hotel to spend tens of millions on a building if the receptionist is rude, there’s a ring around the tub or room service is fifteen minutes late. What a waste for a car dealer to put his name on a sign, invest millions in a facility and inventory just to have unkempt, ill trained salespeople offending customers with a poor first impression, lack of product knowledge and abrasive personality. Companies that increase success year after year and sustain excellence are brilliant in the basics. They sweat the small stuff because they know there is no ‘small stuff.’

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48 FEATURE

Until the people representing your company are crisply presentable, articulate in the virtues of your products/ service and see their job as a prospect’s servant rather than master, what your people ‘are’ will speak so loudly your customers won’t be able to hear what they say.

Top leaders do not take a casual approach to mediocrity at any level in their organization: cleanliness, courtesy, worker competence or attitude levels.They hate mediocrity enough to snuff it out.They don’t ‘handle’ mediocrity; they devastate it by becoming brilliant in the basics.

Companies like The Men’s Wearhouse or Southwest Airlines continue to excel while competitors fall farther behind or become extinct altogether. They do so not because they are fancier or outwardly more sophisticated than their counterparts. These companies are brilliant in the basics. Their people are well trained, empowered and motivated by clear mission, vision and corporate core values. These corporations have leaders at the top with a crystallized idea of how to please a customer: by putting their employees first. In fact, both these organizations make no bones about the fact they put their employees ahead of their customers. This is because only once employees are treated like they are number one will customers ever be treated that way. Basic,yet brilliant.

Is your organization brilliant in the basics? If not, nothing else will matter much. Employees won’t be competent or motivated; customers won’t be delighted nor will they return and success won’t be meaningful nor sustainable. Maybe it’s time to tone it down, leave the ivory tower, put a hold on those elaborate strategies for a while and jump back into the trenches and lead your people back to the basics. n

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