Last April at the time of ‘Apprenticeship Week’, I posted a reflection on how most companies and training academies seem to overlook the importance of including Continuous Improvement as a core skill set within any scheme of apprentice development.
With apprenticeship levies being a current topic and one where employers will be looking to get the most from their investment, I thought it pertinent to bring the point I raised to the forefront for those who may have missed the post. Enjoy the read…
Reflecting on the recent National Apprentice week, many companies, including Ford Engineering Group of the Northeast, recognized and celebrated the value that apprenticeships contribute to the UK business sector.
Coming from an automotive apprenticeship background myself, I value the insight and appreciation it provided, not only in its specialist field, but also in the wider business skills it develops. Unfortunately, I don’t hear enough presently about how continuous improvement skills are being integrated within these programs for the future.
Many roles today, from managers to staff to shop floor, now advertise for continuous improvement (CI) and problem solving skills, based on lean or six-sigma principles. Employees are often encouraged to improve their processes as well as operate them and there is increasing expectations for employees to be more engaged in solving problems. It’s often the individuals that show the extra insight to improve efficiency and productivity that are recognized.
Anyone who has witnessed a lean six-sigma philosophy working well in an organisation, can appreciate that it works most effectively and sustainably when employees know why they are doing it and why it needs to be a ‘way of thinking’. Embedding a basic knowledge of CI at an early stage in apprenticeship training, as with other core skills, will make an individual a more effective manager and leader as they develop their career.
It is my hope that, enlightened leaders who are actively influencing industry-wide efforts, who have seen improvement work in companies, will affect this need and encourage companies and training establishments to provide the above core CI skills to apprentices. The benefit to the individual and the organisations they will lead in the future is immense.
by Gavin Jones
New Potential