TRAINING & EVENTS CHAMBER BUSINESS TRAINING


The Chamber offers a wide and diverse range of training support for members and non-members alike, all with the aim of enhancing skills, developing knowledge and driving the growth of your business


FOCUS ON: DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME


The six-day Director Development Programme is one of the Chamber’s flagship training offerings. Encompassing six core modules -


Developing Vision; Planning and Direction; Finance for Non-Financial Directors; People Management Approaches; Performance Management and Review; Management Information Systems and the Marketing Mix – the programme enables directors and senior managers to apply the principles covered during these sessions in their own working environment, ensuring tangible results. It’s a programme that has been


used to great effect by Chamber member Bennett Engineering Design Solutions and, specifically, its Design Engineer, Craig Harbron. Loughborough-based Bennett Engineering specialises in machine modernisation, value engineering and product design. And in sending Craig on the programme, the company is very much looking to the future as well as the present. “We’re a dedicated team of


practical design engineers and our clients trust and rely on us to give them honest opinions and provide world-class solutions adapted to their challenges,” explains Craig. “I am a design engineer with a


vision to develop and become a business owner or engineering director in the future; that’s the career goal. John Bennett (Bennett Engineering’s Managing Director) is looking to retire in the next five years or so, and me taking over his position forms part of the exit strategy. “To aid this transition, we agreed


that I would go on the Director Development Programme to enable me to fully understand all the responsibilities, which means it won’t be a case of being thrown straight into the deep end as and when the time comes.” While Craig has commitments


and priorities at Bennett Engineering, and with many people in senior positions time-poor, the prospect of spending six days away from the business can seem a daunting proposition, however the structure of the programme, Craig believes, creates a perfect balance.


54 business network March 2018 “The programme took place


every other week and having that two-week gap gave enough time to reflect on what I had learned as well as providing an opportunity to implement these learnings back in the business. “For example, after the first day


– the Developing Vision section of the programme - we (Bennett Engineering) very quickly planned and reviewed a few aspects of the business based on what I had taken away from the previous day’s programme, so in that respect it works extremely well. “Within the first week of me


being on the programme we had actually written down a vision for Bennett Engineering. We knew as a business what we wanted to achieve but if it isn’t written down then it isn’t real and it’s actually on our wall now so we see it every morning when we walk in. It reminds us daily what we’re here to do and what we’re here to achieve.” While some training courses look


to achieve as many ‘bums on seats’ as possible, the Director Development Programme is different, insomuch that numbers are restricted to allow for a more tailored and personal approach. “The numbers are important –


there were up to eight on the programme at various stages and that is a great number as it avoids a classroom-style situation. With fewer people there is a lot more time afforded to each delegate and the opportunity for detailed explanation and discussion and the chance to share best practice,” says Craig.


skills but also to take direct actions back to the business is something that, Craig suggests, underpins the programme. So, having now completed it, does he believe that the Director Development Programme has made a direct difference to the business? “It absolutely has,” argues Craig. “The insight I got was fantastic


and the range and depth of the areas covered gave me so much to focus on back at Bennett Engineering; it also offered a fresh, new approach and a wider appreciation of how things can be done. “It’s enabled me to take a step


back, look at the business holistically and understand where our strengths and weaknesses are and, importantly, where any weaknesses can be improved on. “It was delivered in such a


simple manner. For example, finance isn’t necessarily an area I have been heavily involved in and finance books can look very complicated – and they are to some degree – but having a simple-yet- detailed overview has allowed me to gain a much better and clearer understanding of that element of the business, it certainly isn’t anywhere near as daunting. So would Craig recommend the


Director Development Programme to others? In this, he is unequivocal.


‘To aid this transition, we agreed that I would go on the Director Development Programme to enable me to fully understand all the responsibilities’


“We were all from very different


sectors but in a way there were a lot of similarities as we were all there to develop ourselves, so that helped create a very supportive atmosphere. It has certainly helped give me additional confidence and know-how.” The opportunity to not only enhance his own knowledge and


“It’s been highly motivating and inspiring. I would definitely recommend the programme to others. I was optimistic that something good would come out of attending the programme but I had no idea that my level of motivation would be as great or that I would learn so much in those six days; in that respect it has been a phenomenal experience.”


The next Chamber Director Development Programme begins on 28 June in Nottingham. Places limited. For more information and to book, bit.ly/Chamber_DDP


Craig Harbron, of Bennett Engineering Design Solutions


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