I’m sure you’ve all heard the story about the two managers talking about training their employees.
The first asks, “Yeah, but what if we train them, and they just leave?” The second responds, “What if we don’t train them, and they stay?”
I know it can be difficult at times to justify money spent on staff training, particularly when poaching is so prevalent within the sector. So why does Training Matter and why is it so important to train your employees?
- Upskilling ensures your employees are better at their job – This not only helps them better understand their role but also helps your business succeed and grow.
- Improves Company Culture – If your employees know you believe in them and want to help them grow personally and professionally, then it leads to an improved culture where people want to learn and will ensure that your employees grow with the business.
- Great for Recruitment –People want to work at a place which has a great culture and where employees are valued and once you become known as a place that encourages training, talented people will want to work with you.
- Great for Retention – People don’t always leave chasing bigger dollars. If you can retain great employees by investing in their future you will automatically be investing in your company’s future too.
FTMA Australia recognises the need to design training more specific to our sector and as a result they have invested in to developing training which they hope will be ready for delivery in 2019. However, this isn’t the only training targeting our sector as outlined below:
FTMA Timber Systems Designer training course. Resource materials have been obtained and session plans for the 15-day course are well underway. Each session is designed to provide the participants with the knowledge and understanding of the particular subject. As training is 30% learning and 70% doing, the course has been created with activities that make learning fun which helps with the retention of information.
The content of the course includes; plan reading, specifications, take offs, mathematics, Australian Standards, NCC, terminology, technology, communication, etc. As part of the training site visits will be carried out at locations to be determined, to provide participants with reality on the ground rather than just theory. It will also include some days of work place simulation, with participants been given a set of plans and tasks to be carried out just as it would be in a truss plant using all of the above skills gained from the training. This will give the participants that hands on experience that is currently missing.
It is envisage the first run of this course will be in the first half of 2019 as a pilot program before being run in different states depending on where the numbers are.
ForestWorks, in conjunction with the Box Hill Institute of TAFE are in the process of developing some new training packages for the industry in light of the NCC changes which allows buildings to be constructed from timber up to 8 story’s or 25m in height which is a relatively new method of construction. These include:
- Prefabrication of Panelised Timber Building Systems and On-site Installation
- Manufacturing Solid Engineered Wood Products – Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glulam
- Diploma of Project Management for Prefabricated Building Systems (Timber)
For example there is now CLT and timber framed panelised walls completed to a particular stage as in, external claddings, internal linings, insulations, services etc. This now means that there are a number of people that need to understand the process and requirements including the design for manufacture and site installation and project management.
Whilst you might initially think these aren’t directly related to the frame and truss sector, there are many parts that will, in the future, affect and involve a truss plant. For those that have already had any experience with this will understand, that the information and manufacturing requirements for the on-site process to work is very much reliant on the fabricator and their involvement from a very early stage of the project.
Stay tuned for more updates on these training packages and remember, Training Matters!
This edition of Biz Buzz was provided by Phil Ladson of Ladson Consulting.