Training

The Cost of Training vs The Cost Of Ignorance

StudentsBy David Larner CEng. Technical Training Solutions

With the accountants having the loudest voices in the board room these days, engineering training managers often find it very difficult to be heard because it is hard to put a value on training. In this article Technical Training Solutions (TTS), the Kent based Skills Company makes a case for short, practical courses that concentrate on competence.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is something accountants understand.   TTS has an extensive client list that includes companies such as Northern Foods, Glaxo Smith Kline, Rivita and Rolls Royce. They all agree that a well trained asset care team will always make a positive impact on OEE - that does improve the bottom line operating costs.

The fundamental problem all training managers face is what form of training is needed. Training is expensive, fact. But the cost of ignorance is much higher, so no one should even begin to consider what the cost of the wrong training might be.

Dave Larner, an instructor at TTS said “I’ve seen a number of companies reduce their technical work force as response to cost saving drives, only to discover they have lost specialists they can’t replace in the form of contractors.  Contractors simply do not have the ‘local’ plant knowledge that full time maintenance staff has. This has led to an increased need for mechanical and instrumentation staff to multi skill, and carry out electrical work, or vice versa. This raises the thorny issue of competence.”

Competence based Training vs NVQs
Many engineering and training managers agree that numerous training providers do not achieve the desired effect, and can be very costly.  Modern apprenticeships and NVQ schemes are well suited to hairdressing and the service industry, but they can score less well amongst engineering trades. This is because NVQs tend to be too general and made up of modules that have little or no relevance to the wide range of engineering specialities. NVQ based courses consist of a number of short multiple-choice examinations where answers are supplied. All the delegates have to do is choose the right one. This is useful for checking that the delegate has the appropriate understanding of the subject, but too often this is the only form of assessment that is made.

Alternatively, courses which have practical outcomes are more enjoyable for the delegates attending them - avoiding the long lectures and powerpoint presentations so often used on training courses today.

Shaun Coster, finance manager at TTS told Engineering Maintenance“Industrial knowledge and experience is the prime requirement we place on all of our instructors.  Many skills training courses offered by FE colleges and independent training companies issue a certificate at the end of the course. But too often this is an attendance-based certificate which simply says that the delegate was actually there for the duration of the course.”

TTS set out from day one to concentrate on competence based training using the ‘Learning – by – Doing’ principal. This principal originates in Chinese mythology, and suggests that if an individual is told something, invariably  they’ll forget; if the individual is shown something; then they’ll remember. However, if the individual is allowed to get involved in practical exercises, they will understand – and now we are talking real value!


Martin Smith, Project manager at TTS says “Skills training must lead to the delegate acquiring that skill and for this reason any training company offering tuition courses should have practical assessments, and this is what employers actually want.  When delegates return to work after having attended a course, many managers will automatically assume that they are now able to perform these new skills in the workplace, but from a legal point of view this assumption would have no basis, since too often there is no direct evidence upon which the delegate's competency can be determined.”

Certification, Cooperation, Consolidation
When a TTS delegate has completed a course and demonstrated competence to an instructor, a nationally recognised TTS certificate will be issued. The certificate lists what skills have been learnt, and is signed by the instructor on behalf of TTS, and by Derek Simpson on behalf of the Amicus Union.

TTS is the only training provider in the UK that incorporates practical assessments and consolidation schemes for every course it provides. Consolidation enables delegates to practice their new skills in their workplace under the supervision of a personal mentor, ensuring their competence in a legal context.  This cooperation between the employer and TTS provides the delegate and their supervisors and managers with all the evidence needed to ensure the delegate is appropriately trained.

Mark Cornford, Training Co-ordinator, Coca-Cola Enterprises Limited said 'We are very pleased with the quality of the courses provided by Technical Training Solutions. Our candidates get the very best in terms of the depth of understanding and acquisition of useful skills possible, and also we have been able to create customised courses to fit our business exactly. TTS have done everything they possibly could to help me ensure that my candidates get top-quality training.'

The experience Coca-Cola had is typical of the courses TTS provide. The cooperation between TTS and its customers ensure that skills-based and practical assessments are carried out by all the delegates. This means that at the end of any course provided by TTS, a delegate will have demonstrated an ability to perform a new skill that he or she was unable to perform before attending the course.


Source of the Solution
Harold Wilson coined the phrase ‘The white Heat of Technology’ back in the 1960’s, but in hindsight it was to take a further twenty years before the step change brought about by the PC revolution really made its mark upon Industry.  Britain in the 1980’s had to face the challenge of improving the skills base of its workforce to keep pace with Europe and the rest of the world. For this reason the engineering Union the AEEU formed the National Engineering College. However, over the past decade the AEEU has amalgamated with several other Unions and now does not have a sole engineering bias. Amicus, as it is known today, was faced with a dilemma. Should it encourage the National Engineering College to produce non-engineering courses for its financial membership, or stick with engineering and fail to serve the growing numbers of Amicus members?

The solution was to split the training operation away from the main body of the Union. In 2002 Technical Training Solutions (TTS) was formed as a private company to focus on engineering training skills. Today the company is headed up by four of the original college’s senior trainers. 

David Larner CEng
 
Technical Training Solutions
Tel. 01634 731474

www.technicaltrainingsolutions.co.uk

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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