Austin Hayes is now able to deliver best-in-class training in-house
Creating opportunities is an absolute priority of ours at Austin Hayes. We seek out every chance possible for our business to offer even more amazing and complex services, as well as keep up with innovative practices to improve our carbon footprint. Most of all, we’re always looking for opportunities for our staff to develop their skills through training and development, so that they’re continually learning, improving and benefiting from being a member of our team.
As a part of this, we’re particularly keen for our employees to achieve high-profile accreditations in our industry. While acquiring these helps our staff flourish professionally, it also provides security for our partners, as they know that all people involved in our business are correctly trained and qualified to carry out the tasks being worked on. Training also acts as a great social tool for our people, bringing us together through shared learning.
Training, unlocked
That’s why – for many years – we’ve been working closely with our industry partner, Corrodere, on achieving various accreditations. In particular, they’ve provided us with vital training for The Society for Protective Coatings’ (SSPC) “Train The Painter” courses… and what’s more, continue to do so despite the limitations the pandemic has put on our industry.
With the help of Lucy Pavia – one of our contacts at the company – we’ve been able to carry on teaching our staff while adhering to the necessary COVID-19 restrictions. She pointed us to Corrodere Academy’s online learning portal, where we discovered a “Train the Trainer” course that has since allowed us to teach our most established employees how to deliver training themselves. By bringing our training entirely in-house, then, we’re now able to teach our newer staff across a range of disciplines – ensuring they’re still able to get the same development opportunities we’ve always prided ourselves on at the company, without exposing them to risk.
An ideal teacher
The moment we heard of Corrodere’s unique “Train the Trainer” course, we knew we had the perfect candidate to take it on: our Coatings Supervisor, Jamie Wood. Jamie’s expansive experience of the industrial coatings industry – along with his involvement in our health and safety and environmental policies and proactive, “can do” approach – made him the ideal person to train our other employees. Having gone from strength to strength since joining the team at Austin Hayes, he represents the best of the growth and development opportunities we provide: making him the perfect person to administer Corrodere’s courses and practical exams.
The “Train the Trainer” programme was conducted remotely, and was so well-managed that Jamie credited it with being on par with classroom learning. Jamie’s tutor not only taught him everything practical he needed to know, but showed him the ropes in terms of how to deliver lessons, in a clear and effective manner that would help his fellow employees truly engage with the “Train the Painter” course and its various modules. Now, Jamie can teach these courses at the company – enabling us to achieve accreditations in-house for years to come.
Expanding opportunities
With great results so far, Austin Hayes is aiming to provide Coating Applicator, Abrasive Blast Cleaning Operative and Spray Painter training in-house – as well as other “Train the Painter” modules – supporting our continued growth and future-proofing our opportunities to advance our staff, no matter how the pandemic unfolds.
Further, we want all new hires at Austin Hayes to be passionate about personal development, and as keen to pick up these accreditations as we are to deliver them. These courses – while helping our employees produce the best work possible at the company – will, in addition, set them up for success wherever their career may take them. The lessons learned cover most industries where protective coatings are used, such as the marine, offshore, petrochemical and most importantly, the defence sector, and are also endorsed internationally by SSPC and Lloyds Register. They’re immensely useful, then: and we’re excited to be able to teach these lessons ourselves, and help our staff flourish at Austin Hayes. It’s the start of a wonderful new chapter.