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Case Studies
Business Benefits
"BASF training programme saves £4m"
One of the world's leading chemical companies, BASF plc, recognised
the benefits of training through improved business performance.
At its Seal Sands site near Middlesborough, the implementation
of a major training programme included classroom tutoring, safety
training, and written assessments.
The benefits were numerous and included: the development of
150 employees towards multi-skilled self-directed teams, secured
savings of £4m for 2001 due to improved performance; increased
staff morale; and an improved on-site culture that attracted investment
and secured the company's future in the region.
Also, other companies now use BASF plc as a good practice benchmark
for adopting new training processes.
Management Skills
"Leadership skills help create "culture of involvement""
Marshall Tufflex, a company specialising in the extrusion of
PVC, recognised the importance of creating leadership skills for
a new culture of involvement.
Through team leadership courses, team building exercises, and
360 degree appraisal techniques, the managers learned from each
other by focusing on their management styles, values, skills,
strengths, weaknesses and recommendations.
Positive indicators to suggest that leadership development was
worthwhile are: good attendance, low staff turnover, and a culture
of mutual respect based on confidence, necessary to make the decisions
that move the business forward.
Investors in People
"Teams developed through training are flexible and adaptable
to change"
Enbray Cooper UK Limited - a leading British manufacturer of
contactors serving the commercial, industrial and railway industries
- has had to move into a bigger factory to cope with demand for
its products. It has reached new markets all over the world following
the development of a miniature contactor for electricity meters.
Enbray Cooper's management give much of the credit to the firm's
achievement of the Investors in People Standard.
As plant manager Alan James says, "With the help of the Investors
in People philosophy, Enbray has developed its teams through training
to enable them to be flexible and adaptable to the changes in
production methods that the new products will require."
Skills and Qualifications
"Union helps members return to learning"
Like many thousands of people, Tommy Dawkins has difficulty reading
and writing. However, unlike many, he has declared these difficulties
and is tackling them; and he is also encouraging his colleagues
to do the same.
As a learning representative at Steelite International plc,
Tommy ensures that colleagues are aware of the learning opportunities
open to them via their union and through the workplace.
As Tommy explains, "I decided I was going to get this over to
the workforce and the company as well, because you need them to
be involved too. My plans for the future are to go on more courses,
and carry on until I can read, write and spell with confidence."
He became involved at Steelite in the Pathway to Lifelong Learning
programme (a Union Learning Fund supported project), which earned
the Ceramic and Allied Trade Union a Learning in the Workplace
Award in recognition of its work in helping its members to return
to learning.
"Business backed college at cutting edge
of developing technology"
Leeds College of Technology is at the leading edge of skills
development for the print industry.
Twenty per cent of the UK's printing industry is located in the
North of England and the college aims to encourage young people
to enter the industry by offering specially developed customised
courses. The centre has secured over £2 million of private sponsorship
from companies including Heidelberg, Komori, Xerox and Agfa.
The Print Media Centre's membership scheme encourages companies
and individuals with an interest in the print industry to participate
in the centre's programmes.
Employer feedback helps the college ensure that its provision
keeps pace with digital and electronic advances in industry.
The college is in partnership with two major universities in
Leeds and will become a printing sector centre for learndirect,
which complements its online training provision for the engineering
manufacturing and motor vehicles industries.
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