OPINION
through apprenticeships, which affects the pipeline of new talent coming into the sector for us all.
Taking Training in Hand In-House At Millcroft, we specialise in more complex and demanding scaffolding projects, including jobs in challenging sectors such as rail and heritage refurbishment, so having a higher proportion of advanced scaffolders on the team is central to our business model and the service we can offer clients. For us, having a retained team and an in-house training facility not only means that we have the right mix of skills to answer the needs of our projects and our clients, but it also means that we are in control of the quality and frequency of the training our staff receive, which extends much further than core scaffolding skills and qualifications. From a business model perspective, this makes Millcroft more resilient to skills shortages and the threat of increased skills challenges in the future. Recruitment of the right calibre of candidates with the right attitude and workplace behaviours is never an easy task but developing our people in-house means that we’re confident of the real skills and experience they have and are less vulnerable to the wage inflation that happens as a consequence of a competitive recruitment market. These were all factors in our decision to invest in a dedicated training centre, which provides facilities for both classroom learning and practical training across all disciplines, including scaffolding installation and scaffolding design. Carrying out training in-house not only enables us to control the frequency and quality of training, it also enables us to ensure inter-disciplinary competencies from our team, which benefits both the company and every individual member of staff by ensuring everyone
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“The physical demands of the job are not a natural choice for school leavers. It’s imptortant we promote the diversity of roles.” understands their role in the success of a project. Some companies might consider our team to be top-heavy with senior scaffolders but, for Millcroft, that advanced skill set is not only integral to delivering the types of projects we attract but it is also a natural progression for people who are loyal to the company. Career development plans can be flexible to suit the needs of the individual and the company and the scheduling of training time can also be managed around the demands of our active sites and site-based training and testing. The advanced skills within the business also provide a valuable resource for sharing skills and experience with newer recruits too.
Core Competency and Beyond Our in-house training facilities allow us to begin the training process with our own team from the very first day a new recruit starts with the company. We run our own health and safety
competency course to prepare new recruits to apply for their CISRS card and begin their career and on the job training. Safety training is then one of the core disciplines taught in our training facility both for our own team throughout their career and as a service we offer to clients. In addition to regular health & safety training up-dates, we provide a number of safety courses, including asbestos awareness, manual handling and abrasive wheel training. We also train our own fire marshals, first aiders, and mental health champions. As our site-based members of staff rise through the ranks, we also upgrade their safety training. Both site managers and site supervisors undergo relevant CITB Site Safety Plus training along with CITB Achievement & Behaviour Change training and our site supervisors receive risk assessment training. Because training is so fundamental to our business strategy and we have the training facility available for use, we also go beyond mandatory health and safety training requirements and core competencies with additional courses that support the wellbeing of the team and contribute to business continuity for the company. These courses include substance abuse and mental health awareness training, which are designed to ensure that our teams recognise the risks and warning signs in themselves and others.
Compliance and Continuity Ultimately, every company has an obligation to ensure all members of their team are competent and compliant with current health & safety legislation. For Millcroft, the benefits of an in-house training facility and commitment goes beyond compliance to ensure we have continuity in our team and consistency of quality project delivery. SM
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