AMEC Case Study

Background

In March 2008, AMEC approached Develop Training Ltd to design a management training program for their M1 Corridor First Line Managers, that focussed on their behavioural and interpersonnel skills. This was because it was a regular occurrence within the company for workers to be promoted from technical 'hands on' roles to "off the tools" Management and Team Leader roles.

It was believed that the transition from one role to another was seen to be too much of a difference based on the fact that one role involves "managing tasks" and the other "managing people".

It was concluded by AMEC that training would be required to address this issue and improve business efficiency by raising the confidence of supervisors, team leaders and managers, by equipping them with relevant Leadership techniques they could use back in the workplace.

Training Design

It was clear to the Develop team that the training needed to be innovative and tailored to the needs of AMEC if it was to achieve the desired effect of improving performance through awareness, knowledge, commitment and confidence in the day to day management. Past experience indicated that it must also be:

  • Relevant to individuals roles in order for better understanding.
  • Limited to specific techniques required that would be useful in practice.
  • Avoid generic examples from other industries that delegates could not interpret.
  • Connected to technical scenarios for practicing techniques.
  • Unintimidating with an emphasis made on practical learning.
  • Total immersion - not piecemeal.

To gain an even deeper understanding of what would be required, Develop's Management Training Consultant, Laura Chandler spent 2 full days on site in an observation role to understand delegates ability, the role they undertook and how they approached management of staff. It was these observations that resulted in the final programme outline of 5 days Management Training to be set in a technical context.

Training Delivery

The training was delivered using a combination of classroom and workshop exercises by a Behavioural Training Specialist and two Technical Trainers. In total AMEC put 30 of their employees through the training program, with 6 delegates on a course at any time. The program included:

  • Classroom
    Discussions, theory, exercises and reflection planning to help delegates gain an understanding of topics and techniques that are not second nature to them, such as; The role of the supervisor, Coaching, Communication Skills etc.
  • Real-Play
    Several different workshop scenarios were staged to place delegates in a real life, industry specific situation where they were able to practice the skills and techniques they had learnt. In this situation they are required to be themselves and not someone else (as in role play).
  • Stop/Time Out
    Whilst the real-play was taking place with one delegate at a time other delegates were asked to watch and observe whilst the Training Specialist facilitated a discussion. When delegates observed something that they felt they wished to change/improve they had the opportunity to stop the action.

Post Learning Measurement

As an optional extra, AMEC chose to include a post programme observation to measure the effects of the learning in the workplace. This included individual discussions on how the course had changed their behaviour, evidence of how they have dealt with situations differently as a result of the programme and actually assessing management skills on site. This component also resulted in the learning being City and Guilds certified.

Delegate Feedback

AMEC employees that have already attended the course said:

This is a quote from a Team Leader when asked if the training would work when he got back on-site.

  • "Best course I've ever been on."
  • "It was great how it related to our type of work."
  • "I really enjoyed the practical sessions in the workshop."
  • "It helped to understand the technique by practising what we learnt earlier."
  • "The course was delivered very well, the Trainer knows her stuff and presents the course with passion and belief which is made even better by the practical sessions."
  • "The course has totally changed my approach - now I manage rather than do!"
  • "There was no thing that I like the most - the whole course and the things I have learnt made the course outstanding for my development."
  • "The course has made me think about my attitude, now I stop and think about the results I want before communicating with my team."

Outcome

The training programme has helped AMEC to resolve the problems and has lead to:

  • A long term investment in behavioural change.
  • Supervisors who are still talking about the techniques covered on the course and the knowledge/tools they have gained as well as applying them daily shows a change of behaviour.
  • AMEC has been able to report some amazing results as a consequence of the programme.
  • A reduction of 50% in staff turnover.
  • A reduction in accident rates from 5.58 to 0.8 per 100,000 man hours.
  • Improved efficiency by 10% means that their clients are getting a good job done quicker.