Creating learning a culture of
The ECA Management Development Programme is helping to broaden the skills of supervisors and middle managers within many ECA and FSA member companies. Paul Haddlesey takes a look at the programme and talks to Abel Alarm Company about their experience of it
I
t’s blindingly obvious that a well-managed contracting company is going to have a distinct advantage over a poorly managed competitor. What hasn’t been so obvious to some companies, though, is that good management skills have an important role to play beyond the boardroom. In fact, some contractors seem to be quite reluctant to equip their ‘lower’ echelons with management skills – as indicated in a 2007 report by the Institute for Employment Studies into the attitude of electrical contracting companies to training. This report highlighted a lack of understanding of the value that proper planning and skills development brings to a business. This certainly isn’t the case with Abel Alarm Company, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned providers of electronic fire and security systems. Established in 1965, Abel is a long-standing member of the Fire and Security Association (FSA), part of the ECA. ‘We’ve always carried out internal training, mainly keeping staff up to speed with legislation and changes in technology,’ recalls Abel director Pat Allen. ‘When the ECA launched its Management Development Programme, we saw an opportunity to improve our overall levels of line management and develop skills within individuals that would benefit them personally and strengthen the management structure across all our departments. ‘We initially dipped our toe in the water with one delegate and he was so enthusiastic about his experience that it snowballed, and we very quickly had many of his colleagues asking to attend. It used to be hard work to get people to do training – now we have an ethos of wanting to learn,’ he continues.
58 ECA Today May 2012 Tailor made
It used to be hard work to get people to do training – now we have an
ethos of wanting to learn
The ECA Management Development Programme was developed in conjunction with training and development specialists Jaluch and is tailored to meet the needs of ECA member firms and the wider contracting industry. Iain Macdonald, Head of Education and Training for the ECA explains: ‘We developed high quality management courses because we want to support our members in growing thriving businesses. We know that a professional management team plays a huge part in a firm’s success. Abel Alarm has recognised the importance of planning for the future and embedding these skills within their teams.’ The programme has been approved by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and candidates that complete the programme successfully can opt to take up CMI registration (at additional cost). This enables them to gain formal recognition of the skills gained in the programme through CMI qualification.
SHUTTERSTOCK / MOSTAFA FAWZY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72