2. Biz Network April 2021 41-80.qxp_Chamberlink 26/03/2021 11:12 Page 60
TRAINING
The benefits of tailored training Alongside the usual calendar, the Chamber’s commercial training team provides bespoke packages designed to upskill SMEs according to specific requirements. Business Network speaks to Ian Lawrence (pictured), CEO of Chesterfield-based United Rental Group Ltd, a car agency with 67 staff, about his company’s experience with tailored training. Tell us what your business does and who you work with? We manage and operate a network of more than 600 independent vehicle rental businesses, which are licensees of United Rental System. It’s similar to a franchise network, except they each trade under their own name and we provide them with everything they need to run their business – hopefully at better terms than they could achieve on their own. What type of training did you require and why did you decide to work with the Chamber’s commercial training team? We have an internal leadership team and I wanted them to benefit from understanding leadership versus management, along with all aspects of getting the best out of colleagues through example and motivation. It needed to cover a broad range of business areas, which as a group they’d all be responsible for at some point – and ensure there were common approaches towards achieving similar goals. What did the training delivered by the Chamber involve? It was a little more complicated than normal in that everything had to be delivered via Microsoft Teams one afternoon each week – over an
eight-week period. The trainers were great – even splitting the delivery between them depending on their specialism. After each session, I was sent an update and summary so I could see what they had been working on. I found that extremely helpful and thoughtful. How will this support your business aims and objectives? Most importantly, it bought each section leader together as one unit, highlighted some common objectives and brought home to everyone that although they all have different areas of responsibility, they were one team – and should endeavour to work to the same principles. I was more than pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm with which each trainee greeted the opportunity to participate each week – testimony I think to the quality of the training and delivery. Why should businesses place a strong emphasis on continuous staff development? Business changes all the time and legislation can change too. It’s important that we invest in keeping our teams up to speed with those changes – and even more vital they see we are investing in them too. It’s motivational as well as educational. It’s also important they all sing from the same hymn sheet and understand the challenges
their colleagues face on a daily basis. What do you believe were the main benefits of a bespoke training course? One of my concerns was that our leadership team is already really good and mostly very experienced. I didn’t want to insult those people or look as if we were teaching them to “suck eggs” – so it was important we pitched the content at the right level. Because we got that right, we came out of it with an even more enthusiastic set of leaders who had all learnt some new skills. I also had the chance to speak to the trainers
beforehand and describe our culture, which gave them the opportunity to tailor the delivery and content of each section of the course to match our business and ethics. We now have a clear indication on where we need to go next in terms of investing more time in educating our teams – and which areas we should focus on. I think it’s easy as a business leader to drive a company forward and forget that what you’re “driving” needs some maintenance or a “service” now and then. Our people are our greatest assets – offering bespoke training that makes clear sense to them is key to ensuring a more secure future for the business.
More than 100 businesses are supported by the Chamber with bespoke training courses each year. A dedicated staff member assigned to each company will design and develop tailored face-to-face or online sessions, which are delivered to either individuals or teams of up to 12 people. They will liaise with the business lead throughout the programme, selecting a training specialist most suited to its requirements, ensuring these are met by the course content and completing a quality check following delivery. For more information on bespoke training, contact business training manager Vicki Thompson on vicki.thompson@emc-dnl.co.uk or call 0333 3200 333 (ext 2153).
Understanding how to be a good manager Learning how to be an effective and efficient manager will be the focus of the next instalment of the Chamber’s Managers Development Programme. Key topics covered by the training course include understanding the management role, motivation and organisational culture, communication skills, coaching skills for developing others, managing performance and identifying opportunities for innovation. The programme will be delivered online by a trainer from Challenge Consulting. It runs for six half-day sessions, lasting between 1.30pm and 5pm, from Monday 10 May to Monday 21 June. The course costs £735 + VAT for members and £1,050 + VAT for nonmembers. For more information, visit bit.ly/MDPMay21 60
business network April 2021
