Investing in skills training can save construction businesses money
(19/10/2009)

According to recent research undertaken by Proskills in the building products industry, investing in skills training can save businesses money and is an important strategy for dealing with the recession.

Over three quarters of employers in the industry say they have been affected by the recession, reporting that customers are spending and ordering less and that demand for products has reduced. The results also suggest that over the next three years challenges will include energy costs, changing customer demands, and a lack of demand for products.

In difficult economic times, many organisations are forced to make cuts, and training budgets are often the first to go. However, research findings suggest that building product companies intend to maintain their spending on training, and that companies who train are weathering the recession better.

The National Skills Academy for Materials, Production and Supply is part of Proskills UK Group, which sets the standard for industry-relevant and quality-assured training and qualifications across the Building Products Industry. The Academy represents the industry on all skill-related issues to help companies achieve a competitive advantage and survive the recession.

The research in the coatings industry has shown that employers are saying there is a need to up-skill current and future workforces to enable businesses to address the challenges they currently face.

How the National Skills Academy can help The Academy has developed a wide wide range of products and services that are endorsed by employers from across the sector that can help employers survive the recession and build a base for the upturn.

Right people for the right job
Research shows that building products employers are saying that investing in staff is a key strategy for dealing with the recession. To survive and prepare for the upturn, companies need to ensure staff have the right skills for the jobs they carry out, and to improve skill levels as companies change to address shifting market demands. Building product employers are saying, however, that the cost of training is a barrier to skills development. It is critically important, therefore, that training is properly targeted at the areas of most need to maximise the return on investment.

Profile, a web based skills manager tool developed by Proskills, allows for the assessment of skills competences of individuals and teams, the identification of skills gaps, and management of training and development requirements which will help cut costs and drive the up skilling of your workforce.

Reducing costs
Building product companies say that reducing costs is a major strategy for dealing with the recession. This means improving systems of work, costs are minimised, quality improved, and customer satisfaction increased. This last point is key, as a significant number of companies expect their business to contract, and many are seeking to find new markets. Customer focused activity, product quality and consistent services will improve much needed customer retention and support customer acquisition.

Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) and Productivity and Competitiveness (PAC) is a proven system which helps employers drive business performance improvements. Using a diagnostic analysis of all or selected processes in a company, and linked to a customised improvement programme, PAC delivers bottom line savings and efficiencies with improvement tools based on Quality, Cost and Delivery.

Recognition of employee skills
Building product employers are saying that recognition of employee skills adds value to the training both for the company and employees. Motivating employees is essential to business success. Recognising employee skills and investing time in training boosts staff morale and productivity plus companies are more likely to retain staff. By implementing Industry relevant training, employees know that their company is committed to ensuring they can do their jobs to the best of their ability.

The Academy Train the Trainer programmes provide onsite and flexible assessment while the development of Employer-Led Centres of Learning offers state of the art classroom teaching and Workshops for practical hands-on training. The Academy is your gateway to quality-assured training programs, solutions and relevant information to help businesses improve their productivity and competitiveness through training.