TRAINING
Investing in the future
David Luckett, manging director of 3T Services sees training as one of the core factors in company, along with individual, development.
ust like everything in life, methods of training continually evolve and benefits in all styles can be found. However, no single method is perfect on its own. COVID-19 has reshaped how many companies conduct their businesses and how individuals approach life. Many training providers, including 3T Services, have given more focus to providing bespoke remote ‘on-line’ training sessions allowing candidates to advance their knowledge without physically attending a training centre or college. Such training was a valuable aid during the pandemic lockdown. I hope such training methods will continue, but they will never replace hands-on, face- to-face training and should be treated as another available training method to build on employee’s skills and knowledge. I was fortunate to start my working
J
life on a full-time four-year engineering apprenticeship. I may not have appreciated it at the time, but I now see the time spent as the most valuable grounding for my career. Move forward 40 years and we struggle
to find such dedication to training new recruits. Yes, there are still excellent training programmes available today and maybe looking back in history is not the way forward. And let’s not avoid the fact that training costs money. It is also the case that companies are often
concerned that training their employees makes them more valuable to others and they may leave. Two quotes spring to mind that answer that particular concern: Henry Ford: “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”
Sir Richard Branson: “Train people well 30 August 2020
enough so they can leave, treat them well enough, so they don’t want to.”
Learning may occur consciously or without conscious awareness. Experience is by far the main development tool in service engineering progression and can come without attending any training sessions, but many structured training programmes are now based around this, as mentioned before ‘no one training method is perfect on its own’. In addition to the standard ‘off the shelf’ courses, 3T Services has developed many training programmes, working with our customers, to provide the exacting training requirements they need. Some of which have recognised approval from industry bodies and the case of our latest ‘Principles of Electricity within Catering Equipment’, assured by City & Guilds.
Today’s training sits in one of two groups; those who just need a legally required qualification to work, such as F-Gas, and those that see the benefit of continual training. In whatever form training is provided, the key is to ensure that it covers all aspects of the working environment and that it encourages individuals to develop beyond the confines of the actual provided training. Without doubt, continual training, whether provided ‘in-house’ or from an external provider pays the greatest dividends.
Let’s move away from treating training as a ‘tick box’ exercise and focus on the rewards that it can bring. Unfortunately, many companies have not survived the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020, others will struggle for years to come. Whilst the trimming of budgets could see a reduction in the training sourced, I am pleased to see
the commitment of many of our customers to continue regular training for their employees. Whilst many manufacturers have now moved away from high GWP refrigerants, 3T Services continues to offer the required F-Gas training courses, with the 5-day Category I qualification being the most popular. Our 5-day F-Gas & ODS Regulations training course offers much more than a certificate, whilst some understanding of refrigeration and air conditioning helps, this training course enables a novice to understand how refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) systems actually work. Our 300+ page training manual, included within the course costs, covers much more than the requirements of the F-Gas qualification, providing a valuable resource, enabling our candidates to further their knowledge after the training course. Our training courses have always included a prominent focus on Health & Safety, a subject that is obviously key handling A3 & A2L refrigerants, covered on our flammable refrigerant training courses and on our electrical courses. Whilst flammable refrigerants are considered more dangerous than their HFC predecessors, with correct specifications and handling techniques we have been able to dispel many of the ‘myths’ surrounding them. With the easing of lockdown restrictions, 3T Services training centre re-opened its doors in June 2020. Ensuring the Health, Safety & Welfare of our staff and training delegates, additional COVID-19 measures have been introduced, closely following the NHS & Government guidelines. The first three of our ‘kick-off’ training courses being combined flammable refrigerants and F-Gas refresher training, which were positively received by all.
www.acr-news.com
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
