A Sector Skills Council for the process and manufacturing sector has unveiled a ‘Train the Trainer’ initiative in Northern Ireland to accredit in-house training professionals.
The project was developed by Proskills and funded by the Department for Employment and Learning in order to try and tackle a skills shortage that had resulted in local employers routinely looking for trainers outside of the region’s borders, which was costly.
The situation was made worse by the ongoing downturn in the construction industry, which meant that there was an increased requirement for employers to boost the skills of their surviving workforces.
Paul Coffey, Proskills’ director for Northern Ireland, said that, although in the current economic environment it had been challenging for the employers involved to release individuals in order to attend the training courses, those who had taken part would deliver tangible benefits to the business.
“We now have a network of accredited trainers in our sectors, which is a fantastic step on the journey of achieving increased productivity through a highly-skilled workforce,” he added.
The training courses are provided via a network of colleges and are partly subsidised. Some 11 organisations sent a total of 21 trainers to attend the course, which is accredited through the Qualifications and Credit Framework. They comprise Acheson Glover, Camden Group, Chesapeake, Clarke Group, Decora Blinds, Delta Packaging, Glasseal, Quarry Products Association of Northern Ireland, Quinn Group, Skyglaze and ToughGlass.
Brenda McStravick from the Quinn Group, said: “Interventions such as the Proskills ‘Train the Trainer’ course really help us to formalise our approach to training. The accredited in-house trainer at supervisor level is of enormous benefit to our packaging business.”
