TRAINING TAKEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL AT G&O SPRINGS

A Redditch-based company that supplies components for the aerospace industry is flourishing despite the current economic downturn after embarking on a series of unique training programmes developed by the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing (the Skills Academy). Established in 1973, G&O Springs remains a family-owned business and Managing Director, Steve Boyd, puts its continued success down to a commitment to staff development; commitment that it is being taken to the next level with the help of the Skills Academy, part of Semta, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies. G&O Springs has seen something of a revolution in its performance over the past two years thanks to the introduction of training in Business Improvement Techniques (B-IT) and Team Leader training that followed soon after. Following the success of the B-IT programme, which has so far resulted in 12 members of staff receiving an NVQ Level 2 qualification, a new corporate structure was created within the firm. This restructuring saw the creation of a number of Team Leader roles and Steve realised that they would need further support and training if G&O Springs was to achieve maximum benefit from the changes. Steve explained: “The B-IT programme has already delivered significant improvements on the shop floor, with on time deliveries improving from 75 per cent to more than 90 per cent. “However we felt that we had reached something of a plateau and needed to do more to further improve performance. The next logical step was to develop a new management tier within the company by appointing new Team Leaders from within the existing workforce.” As a member of the Skills Academy’s Regional Advisory Group (RAG) for the West Midlands, Steve was aware of the organisation’s unique ‘Learning Engine’ approach. The Learning Engine ensures training meets with clearly identified business needs whilst integrating the five critical phases of the learning cycle: analysis, preparation, delivery, follow-through and evaluation. With the help of Rita Davey, the Skills Academy’s Regional Manager for the West Midlands, a clear definition of the new Team Leader role was established together with a list of the competencies required by those taking up their new roles. The resulting training has already produced some dramatic benefits and the company has been able to save around 90 man-hours over a year following improvements in working practices. In turn this has delivered an initial four to one return on the investment in training. Steve went on to say he believed that a structured approach to staff development has helped the company to achieve a SC21 Bronze Award, which recognises excellence in the aviation industry supply chain. Equally important, it has helped G&O Springs to weather the current economic storm, which has had a significant impact on the aviation industry. Steve said: “I believe that we have effectively used any downtime during the recession to help equip staff with the skills they will need to make us even more competitive once the upturn arrives. We are already starting to win new business as a result of the improvements we have made. Commented Rita Davey: “G&O Springs offers an excellent example of the Learning Engine in action and the real benefits it can bring to a business. Instead of just turning to a provider that offers an ‘off the shelf’ package Steve has benefited from a programme that is tailored to the individual requirements of the business. “The company has also demonstrated the importance of continuous development in an increasingly competitive environment and I look forward to working with G&O Springs as they continue on their learning journey,” she added. - E N D S -

Tags: