Gas training wins the main prize

Citation

(2009), "Gas training wins the main prize", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 41 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2009.03741aab.004

Gas training wins the main prize

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 41, Issue 1

A partnership between an engineering group and a further-education college is helping to speed up a major gas-main replacement program.

Balfour Beatty Utilities, working in partnership with National Grid on the North-West Gas Alliance, has been given the task of renewing all gas mains across the north-west England within 30 meters of buildings within the next 30 years – the so-called 30/30 project. Its training partnership with North Trafford College, Stretford, won a UK National Training Award.

John Cowell, Balfour Beatty training and resource manager said:

We designed the training together. Our knowledge of the industry and the learners and the college’s expertise in National Vocational Qualifications proved invaluable.

We provided a training center at our headquarters in Salford. The college contributed its own classroom facilities at its technology center, as well as a purpose-built outdoor training area. Staff from both organizations jointly delivered the NVQ training.

A pilot group started training with the aim of completing the NVQ within the year. A further 200 operators were scheduled to complete the training program in year 1.

Learners had an average age of 50, and had had no formal education for up to 40 years. The challenge was to convince them of the value of lifelong learning, and of the need for training when they had already been doing the job for many years.

They needed to perform to nationally recognized standards in their everyday jobs. The partnership wanted them to work more efficiently through improved technical and team-working competencies to fulfill the demanding targets of the 30/30 contract.

John Cowell said:

Ideally, we wanted people to attend training one day a week, and as early in the week as possible to avoid the busy operational period. Our achievement rate has been 80 percent, and learners have commented that the course is interesting, well taught, interactive, helpful, exciting and fun.

The significance of their achievement on this course cannot be overstated. As the first formal qualification many had gained, completing the course was an exceptional accomplishment.

Health and safety awareness greatly increased, the risk of gas-main failure decreases year on year as the replacement program progresses, and workloads have eased by an increase in worker efficiency resulting from skill updates.

A total of 250 operators completed the training program in year 1.

John Cowell said:

This partnership between a major blue-chip company and a responsive FE college has created a program that will enhance gas-utilities training provision and act as a model for replication in other regions and with other utility companies.