Recruit for Attitude, Train for Ability

Posted by Oliver Valves Ltd on Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Location
Knutsford, Cheshire

Full Details

Typical of many engineering firms, Cheshire based valve manufacturers, Oliver Valves, Oliver Valvetek and Oliver Twinsafe, had employees who had been involved in assembly and production for years and yet had no formal qualification.

Oliver Valves Ltd recognised the need to up skill their workforce and made a strategic decision to invest in the ongoing development of their staff.
When Sharon Inch became the head of Human Resources 18 months ago she was challenged with achieving results quickly.

“As a company we needed to demonstrate reduced absenteeism and a sustainable training programme,” explained Mrs Inch. “Through performance development reviews we have been able to ask our employees where they want to be. What do they want to do and where do they want to do it?”

“We felt that it was important to strengthen the psychological contract whereby people could see that their skills were recognised and they were motivated to share the knowledge that they had garnered over their years of service. In reality, this is the knowledge that has kept our product amongst the best of its kind in the world.”

An organisation’s brand worth is decided not only by the quality of their wares, but also by the quality and knowledge base of their employees. Employees at Oliver are able to broaden their skill set with qualifications such as modern apprenticeships and NVQs.

“It’s not that what we were doing was wrong. In 30 years the company has gone from strength to strength and we have extremely talented people here,” explained Mrs Inch. “This is about safeguarding the next 30 years.

“My goal was to establishing a feeling of ‘I’m getting something for me out of my job’ and it’s about setting an example. This programme is all about recognising and developing the skills that people have.

“People who have been doing their job for years can still learn from NVQs and apprenticeships. One of the benefits is that they learn to communicate what they are doing to their colleagues and it is this positive communication that makes people feel more engaged in their work.

“We wanted it to be recognised, across the company, that anybody, in any job, could achieve a qualification. It isn’t an elitist system and it isn’t based on academic ability. There are people who have found it a challenge as people who have been out of the education system for a long time have to learn to learn again,” said Mrs Inch, “but we recruit based on attitude and then train for ability.”

By embracing classroom training as well as on-the-job learning Oliver has seen a notable change in the information exchange amongst their staff. Where new starters had been taught solely by time served employees who had historically established methods of production, apprentices have the opportunity to master techniques used by those from other fields of engineering.

“We learn from our apprentices now. They are able to question our traditional models of manufacturing. Our trainees are bringing new methods to the table and becoming involved in the development process very early on.”

A recent success story is that of Jose Rocha who came to Oliver Valvetek from Mexico in 2006 with little formal engineering experience but a natural ability that meant he was well suited to working in the precise field of assembling subsea needle and gate valves. Jose recently achieved an NVQ level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations.

“My NVQ has certainly solidified the experience I have gained whilst I have been working for Valvetek and it has helped me to improve my practice,” said Jose. “Where I used to assemble valves in a way that felt natural to me I now find myself questioning the procedures.

“I also now have the confidence to pass on what I have learnt, supported by the fact that I have a recognised qualification. There is a psychological difference. I came to the company as an unskilled assembler and now I am an engineer.

“The new practises that I bring from my NVQ training are welcomed by my colleagues because they learn new, more efficient and safer ways of doing things. My workmates are becoming interested in studying towards a qualification now because they see the way that I am progressing within the company – the way that my efforts and achievements are being recognised.”

The qualification is a foundation and career development within the company does not stop once a certificate has been awarded.

“There is nothing to say that these trainee engineers are going to remain on the shop floor,” said Mrs Inch. “There may be a match between somebody’s engineering knowledge and their interpersonal skills that makes them suitable for a role in sales or purchasing for example.”

The next step for Jose is a move towards team leadership but, true to the Oliver’s psychological contract, Jose is already thinking a little further down the line.

“I have a natural advantage because I speak another language so perhaps I might find myself in a field based role where I can travel from project to project using my engineering knowledge to explain the finer details of our technologies,” said Jose. “Before I came to Oliver Valvetek I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had a degree from Mexico University in Marketing but I didn’t want to pursue it as a job. My experience here has really made me think about what I want out of my career.”

The benefits of ongoing development are felt as much by the employer as they are by the employee. An investment in training is not a paternal gift and any outlay has to be reflected in the bottom line.

Oliver has seen their investment result in positive returns. By improving the skill set of their employees the company are able to fill key positions by recruiting from within thereby negating the need to employ the services of external recruitment agencies. Staff turnover is at an all time low as employees realise the personal benefits in embracing one of the training plans and absence levels have been considerably reduced.

“The biggest reward as far as the company is concerned is the reflection of our investment in terms of quality,” said Mrs Inch. “We are confident that we have a workforce that is intelligent, highly skilled and totally engaged in all areas of our business. The values we have as a company are mirrored by the values of our staff and this programme will safeguard the future of the business for the next 30 years as we continue to breed our own talent.”

For more information regarding a career at Oliver visit their website at www.valves.co.uk or contact them on 01565 632636.