Background
WHS Plastics is a major supplier of injection-moulded parts to Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Bentley. The company has over 400 staff in production plants, in Birmingham, Runcorn and Egypt, and is experiencing significant growth. In 2015, the Board decided to invest in skills development as a way of supporting growth and productivity.
Challenge
Using the government’s Employer Ownership fund for part of the investment, WHS Plastics looked for a training partner which was flexible enough to design a large bespoke programme, but rigorous enough to satisfy funding rules for the subsidized components. The company needed to deliver a programme for 200 staff and managers within a few months, covering leadership, management, IT and project management skills. Delivery is at their headquarters near Birmingham.
Solution
In September 2015 Activate Enterprise was chosen to deliver the programme, with a start date within 4 weeks. Planning and project management of the programme was shared between the company and Activate Enterprise, driving a series of workshops covering IT skills and leadership development for middle managers. Project management skills development is being set up for the later phase of the programme. The leadership programme is bespoke to the company, including use of Insights Discovery as a psychometric tool to help managers improve their self-awareness and communication style.
Results
The programme is still under way, but initial feedback from the participants and the Managing Director is excellent.