Training A step in the right direction
Access to professional training is crucial to the health of the sector says EDACEO, Margaret Fitzsimons, who explains how the development of the EDA Product Knowledge Programme has been central to the Association’s work over the last two years.
F
or wholesalers, understanding the vast range of products sold through the electro-technical supply chain is
critical. Helping customers select the correct products, understand alternatives and add complementary products to their order adds value for all levels of the three-step supply chain. It’s why the EDA has invested considerable time and resources over two years to plan, create and launch a new suite of 12 distance-learning training modules.
Professional training to up-skill your team It’s estimated that the work done by electrical contractors and installers represents around £17 billion, or 12% of the UK’s wider construction sector. That’s a considerable contribution. Indeed, a 2018 report by MTW Research estimates that sales in the electrical wholesaler market will rise over the next four years. That’s good news for EDA members, but with more and more products flowing through the supply
chain, it’s important for businesses to have access to professional training that helps them deliver greater value. Our members and affiliates need support to up-skill their teams, retain talented individuals and improve sales and productivity. There is no doubt that there is much to be
done to promote career opportunities in the electro-technical sector, but for our sector to attract and retain talent, a bespoke, rigorous and flexible training programme that helps to build skills and knowledge is essential. And that’s what the EDA Programme is all about.
Distilling 1,000 years of industry experience Industry collaboration have been the watchwords of this Programme’s development. For 10 of the 12 modules we created a Working Group of between four and 20 industry experts from EDA affiliate manufacturers and allied trade associations such as BEAMA, the LIA and the British Cables Association (BCA). Each expert brought an average of 12 years’ electro-technical
experience to the table. Often rivals in business, these manufacturer experts set aside their differences to collaborate and pool their knowledge for the good of the sector.
Thumbs up! Our partners, the IET, recruited a technical author to draft and edit each module in our Programme. After continual reviews with the Working Groups, the final draft textbook was piloted: volunteers from EDA wholesalers and manufacturers put each module textbook and End of Module Assessment through its paces. Our volunteer students were a mix of new entrants to the sector, graduate trainees and those who had experienced our previous module programme. Their feedback was crucial: what worked, what didn’t and what could we improve? Their response was extremely positive – a big thumbs up! We put just as much thought into the look and
feel of the learning materials as we did the content. We knew that the use of colour images, the spacious page design and the overall quality
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