Product category:
Design and Development Consultancy
News Release from: Tees Valley Engineering Partnership
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 20 April 2007
Engineering company upgrades management
skills
The Tees Valley Engineering Partnership (TVEP) identified a genuine gap in skills training at first line manager level, which led it to team up with a training consultancy.
The Tees Valley Engineering Partnership (TVEP) has teamed up with a leading training consultancy to address the current skills gap among first-line managers Following extensive consultation with the engineering sector, the Tees Valley Engineering Partnership (TVEP) identified a genuine gap in skills training at first line manager level, finding that in many instances individuals were promoted from shop floor positions into management, with little or no leadership training
In partnership with MacFarlane (Leadership), the group has now created a practical work-based learning programme, which addresses the behavioural elements and practicalities of being a manager.
Accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management the workshop-based 'Introduction to First-Line Management' course combines theory and guided support with practical exercises and hands-on-work on key issues.
Tailored to suit the skills development needs of the participating individuals, the TVEP course also offers its students a 'tool kit' to help them establish how he/she is viewed in the eyes of their team, peers and line manager.
One of the first candidates to successfully complete the course is Michael McCabe, Extrusion Shift Supervisor at infrastructure pipe supplier, Uponor.
After 18 years working for the Newton-Aycliffe based firm, McCabe, 40, was promoted to a managerial job, around five years ago, and initially found it difficult to adapt to his new role.
His manager, Andrew Frith said: "Michael is an ideal example of a promising extrusion operator being given a promotion into a supervisory role, but having to develop his man-management skills 'on the run'".
"Immediately following his promotion, Michael was finding it difficult to deal with the more challenging members of his team and assert his authority over his colleagues, which was affecting productivity".
Uponor decided that Michael would be the first of its employees to undertake the TVEP course and, after 11 half-day sessions, he successfully graduated with a professional managerial qualification accredited to NVQ Level 3.
The firm has now committed a further two supervisors to attend the course following Uponor's successful completion of the programme and his ongoing leadership development.
The company is also planning to put the remainder of the supervisor group through the programme in the near future.
Malcolm Potter, Manager of the Tees Valley Engineering Partnership, said, "One of the key advantages of the programme is the peer feedback at the start of each guided learning session".
"This offers the opportunity for every course delegate to understand that their individual challenges are not necessarily specific to them alone and allows them to discover how much in common they all share, even though they may work in different organisations".
"This is an important way of instilling confidence among the managers and encouraging them to consult more with their team".
Michael McCabe said: "Undertaking the TVEP's Introduction to First-Line Management course has made a real difference to me and my career".
"As the programme progressed I was become increasingly confident and began enjoying my supervisory role more and more".
"I had never gone through training like this before but, although I was nervous at the start, the 'hands on' nature of the course and the support of my mentor made the programme really effective and I am now putting it all into practice back on the shop floor".
His manager added: "Using the new approach promoted by the TVEP and MacFarlane (Leadership) , Michael is steadily developing a more mature and considered style of leadership and is encouraging a higher level of trust and respect within the team".
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