Skills & Organisational Development

the Challenge

Our client is a well established and respected hire firm specialising in pumps and engine equipment. Celebrating over 50 years of successful operation, services extend throughout Australia, South East Asia, India and the Middle East.

Over the past 12 months, the business has embarked on a management re-structure to address issues of key role succession planning and strategy development.  While a well run business with many long term employees presenting high levels of technical skills, the lack of formalised training for individual staff was also becoming an issue.  The lack of standard operating procedures, quality and environmental compliance was costing the business new contracts.

Challenges facing the business included:

• Lack of formal business systems;
• Lack of financial management systems;
• Equipment utilisation low with high levels of waste;
• Cultural barriers to change and innovation high; and
• No workforce development strategy.

Our Solution

After preliminary discussions with the general manager it became evident that the root cause of the business’s issues stemmed from a lack of formal or updated training amongst existing staff relating to business processes and industry best practice.

A formal assessment was completed and confirmed the initial diagnosis. The solution proposed involved registering the business in the Skills for Growth: the workforce development program. This state-based Program provides businesses with an authorised* training specialist, at no cost, to independently conduct and provide:

• A Workforce Skills Needs Analysis;
• Individually tailored training plans per employee;
• Assistance with placement into accredited training; and
• A Skills for Growth Report incorporating a follow up review.

This strategy not only enabled our client to tailor solutions to specific skills gaps within each role, but to combat the high levels of passive resistance to change from long standing senior team members. Employees were then empowered to apply their new learnings in the workplace organically.

REsults Delivered

The Program gave management the chance to review and assess all aspects of the business – identifying the strengths and opportunities with barriers that stood in the way of achieving future growth.

Training plans individualised to each employee, their role and aligned to the business’s strategic intent, have been implemented with all workshop staff enrolled and completing either a Certificate III or IV in Competitive Manufacturing. Two thirds of the office staff are undertaking Certificate IV in Business Administration.

The exposure to best practices and innovation through the training has resulted in a much desired shift in workplace culture. Through the support of their Phalanx Training Specialist, access to both state and federal placement funding was optimised.

Specific issues being addressed through the Program with the support of Phalanx included:

• Improvements in safety;
• Improved production efficiencies and waste reduction;
• Increased job satisfaction; and
• Increase in overall business profitability.

Testimonial

“After trying to effect cultural change in the workshop for nearly two years and making little progress, a nationally recognised and appropriate training course seemed like a new approach – one that is working!

We are making progress and ideas and opinions are changing. The funding aspects make it very attractive. The cash surplus generated is being used to fund incentives for employees successfully completing their course, workshop improvements and the delivery of further specialised training.”