Formica Group Embarks on Training Programme to Boost Operational Performance
North Shields manufacturer, Formica Group has signed a deal to improve the safety and competency of some of its factory workers within the engineering department and boost overall performance.
As part of the agreement, all existing and new Formica Group Engineering staff will now undergo a comprehensive five-day induction training programme at AIS Training’s state-of-the-art 20-acre industrial training village learning skills such as working at height, rigging and lifting, fire awareness, abrasive wheels and manual handling.
All of the training has been tailored to Formica Group’s working environments and practices for realism and to maximise effectiveness. It’s the first-time Formica has introduced such a far-reaching skills programme with an external provider for its UK manufacturing workforce - previously staff underwent internal training and e-learning.
AIS Training will also carry out additional ad-hoc training for Formica in skills such as welding, fabrication and general engineering.
Emma Dixon People and Performance Manager from Formica Group said: “We are committed to our workforce and investing in regular training and development is a key priority.
“Although we’ve previously carried out a lot of training in-house, we wanted to align staff skills and competencies with internationally recognised standards and made the strategic decision to outsource to a professional industry training company.
“AIS Training has invested heavily in its training infrastructure over the past ten years and offers exceptional facilities and high-quality tuition to help us ensure our staff are trained to the very highest industrial standards.”
Business development manager at AIS Training, Chris Appleby, said: “We are delighted to help Formica Group up skill its staff as the company embarks on a massive investment programme to transform its North Shields site into the European Headquarters. Numerous studies show that investing in staff training can increase knowledge, boost productivity and improve the quality of work and Formica Group is clearly buying into these findings.
“We offered a complete training management service to make it much easier for Formica Group. As well as handling all course bookings, our sophisticated ‘bespoke’ software allows us to store and manage each individual’s skills profile and provide automated reminders when training certificates are coming up for renewal. This ensures skills are kept up-to-date and the workforce adheres to the highest industry standards.
“The service also makes the cost of training easier to forecast by and offers huge economies of scale for Formica Group.”
For more information on AIS please visit www.aisgroup.co.uk or call 0844 800 1810.
