Why Invest In Training

“…too often in the past there has been a tendency for businesses to cut back on investing in training as soon as a recession begins, but all the research suggests that this is not the best thing to do.”

- Sir Chris Humphries, Chief Executive, UK Commission for Employment and Skills.



The real benefits of a well-trained workforce cannot be underestimated.

And yet time and again, in the recent difficult economic and business conditions endured by the UK, one of the first things that was either reduced or cut-out altogether,  was training - yes it costs money....yes it is an investment in time, but all to often, attending a training course was either postponed or cancelled altogether......an entirely false economy.........

When times are tough, there is absolutely no doubt that there is an immediate appeal, to say, "I am not going on a training course because I cant afford the time" or in the case of a business, to cut back because it is financial argument made by the finance manager, on the basis that we can "try to ride out” the rough seas, by reducing expenses as much as possible. We are the first to say that for some, this may well be the right and  proper thing to do!

But consider this: training is your investment in the future, and to be well trained and skilled is the lifeblood of any business or individual - ignore it at your peril. An example soimetimes cited is that falling business activity or a sharp increase in competition for the same amount of business can lead some companies to explore diversification or going into a new market area......In other words, getting trained to address those new markets is not only imperative....it is a must……..Businesses can also find training as a way of finding ways of doing the same thing but better....and being better is also abouyt being smarter and more profitable......the holy grail for some hard hit companies out there, who have been ravaged by the recession.

In all of these situations, it is a well trained individual or a workforce that is essentially totally committed....

And that's not all, the almost instant side effect of training is an increase in how motivated the trained individual is. It is absolutely true, that a person or workforce that is well trained is also willing to adapt to new situations, picking up these new skills.......training quickly evolves from something that would be "nice" to something that is essential. Trained workforces allow businesses to become much more competitive and adopt new technologies, processes and approaches that can yield rich rewards.


Total Comms Training is playing its part in the return to economic growth by providing cost-effective training to both businesses and individuals. This will contribute to the economy by helping to create well trained engineers, which in turn will equip those businesses to lead the way to economic growth. To achieve this, Total Comms Training uniquely, listens to what businesses want, and prides itself on working with awarding and qualification bodies to deliver the right training at the right price.

Total Comms Training is committed to finding out the needs of both individuals and companies alike.

So if your business has a training need, however small or large, get in touch with us today.


www.totalcommstraining.com
Tel: 0800 170 7007
Int: +44 1279 426600

Rural superfast broadband chaos?!

BT in the Dock.....again!

So here we are.....many months after we reported on our main news section on totalcommstraining,com, another report from a learned group of MP's....only this time, it is chiming with other large project overspends and in particular, concerns raised about the likely costs of HS2.

The back story to all of this is the UK's now ridiculed attempt to bring broadband services to rural Britain and like all of these stories, there is as much mystery as there are facts.....

The Guardian newspaper (as well as other media outlets) has in the past, reported at length about the rural broadband roll out and the huge sums of money involved - and don't forget, this is tax papers money so it is no laughing matter when other core services have been cut to the bone.

 

So why are the reports today different?

Well, when the influential PAC committee publishes a damning report it tends to attract far more attention and is given much credence - the story can read here >>>>

Why does this matter?

It matters because we alongside other training providers have tried to lobby BT and others to train people to meet the challenges of installing fibre in the UK - and you know what....we have been told consistently that "there is no requirement" - utter nonsense we say - there is a nationwide shortage of fibre optic installers in the UK and it is only going to get worse....so if you are reading this and you want to almost certain of gaining a position in the world of fibre installs, then get trained, get totally trained!!!!   

ECS - so what's all about

 Some of you in the industry may have come across a "safety card (no, not the safety dance, a lesser known poop song from the 80's!!)

In the data and fibre optic industries, there is an affiliate card scheme operated on behalf of the CITB by the JIB......... ok, this bit's boring - why do I need this card?

Recognition for specialist's allied to the electroctechnical indusry....

To be recognised as a someone who is essentially qualified data cabling of fibre optic installer in the UK, you have to have achieved a Level 2 City and Guilds 3667 qualification - this means you must have also passed the core module as well.....this in turn then entitles you to apply for an ECS gold card.

A full range of gold and platinum cards are available to reflect various specialisms across the different skilled sectors of the electrical installation industry: from fire and security, streetlighting, to automobile and marine electrical work, to installing building controls and white goods in properties, including cards for technicians and managers - you name it, there is a ECS card for it!

The benefits

An ECS card is instantly recognisable within the electrotechnical industry and lets you demonstrate your credentials to others; from employers and clients to specifiers, business contacts and colleagues.

Your ECS card shows the level to which you are qualified in a particular occupation, and this then permits you to access to a site or property in order to carry out the work you are qualified to do.

You will find it increasingly difficult to get employment on construction sites and other sites, without an ECS card because many UK employers specify that holding an appropriate ECS card is now compulsory for those working on their sites.

You’ll also be able to prove you’re competent in health and safety. You might already have a qualification that means you’re covered in this area. But, if not, the ECS card incorporates an H&S assessment as part of the application process, to meet the requirements on employers or site owners for all workers to hold an up-to-date Health & Safety qualification.

So there you have it - No ECS card....no Work -

Need a 3667 Core module to complete the full award - go to http://bit.ly/7ko5A7

In the world of installing critical networks and especially the cabling, there are many different types of client experiences. 

From small office networks right up to complex datacentre installs and even telco long haul – the one constant is the people who do the installing.

Great installation engineers should first and foremost be ahead of their game - they should also be able to interact with the customer to iron out any snags that inevitably crop up and be able to provide a solution based problem solving process - it is after all, still a people business and as such, staff should be able to not only be able to have an overarching technical understanding but also be able to take part and deliver key technical discussions and communicate with effortless professionalism.

As with any industry – some perform better than others. The very best datacomms installation engineers will make a fundamental difference to the success of your business.

But is this down to just natural ability or attitude?
 
Installations are never straight forward - in my experience, no one can predict what you are likely to come up against and this is often be complicated by the lack of site documentation.  Piecing together the various aspects of client discussion and expectations, site surveying, the physical installation process, the testing, let alone the logistics and the management resources that takes the lion’s share of even the most seasoned of project manager's time and head space!!.

The key area here is the individual installation engineer, and his or hers skills - it is all to easily overlooked and neglected.....

In any industry, great emphasis is placed on getting the right people working for an organisation. Vast amounts of money are literally poured into  busy HR departments and recruitment agencies, who are asked to work tirelessly to locate the optimum "suite" of skills sets and technical ability, all within a set budget.

Multiple rounds of ardours interviews are held to find the best of the bunch. That person will likely undergo an intensive period of induction to ensure they understand both the demands of the role and the purpose of the organisation.

When it comes to it, this activity could last just several hours.

When you think about it, a lot is at stake, with large expenditure and superhuman efforts to ensure that you get the right staff, with the technical skills  as planned and to able to crucially demonstrate to the directors, that this will see return on investment.

As such, staff tend to be seen as a ‘bolt on’ to the event itself. Facilitators rather than an integral cog in the experiential wheel.

When you think about it properly – these staff are what makes your company work effectively . Without staff, you do not have an company - simple as that!.

Making sure that staff are well trained and well equipped is an incredibly important part of ensuring that your company is a resounding success and continues to be successful.

When staff are fully trained, they have that understanding, that edge, that sets you apart from the competition. They have that all important technical knowledge, which is key to their success and their success is your success!

When installation engineers have knowledge, they can field questions from the customer, with greater ease. They can communicate with greater technical clarity and represent you with accomplished professionalism.

Most of all – they feel more confident.
 
Installers who go out there without any training are at a disadvantage. If your staff are at a disadvantage, guess what.

So are you.

So make sure that your strategy isn’t compromising the most important aspect of your service.

Invest in your staff, keep investing in refresher training and make sure that your training provider understands you, your business and overall, gives you and your installation engineers the kind of impact that you need, to make a difference.

For a glimpse of what we can do for you, visit our website Total Comms Training

Are we really surprised?

With promise after promise broken on the UK's stalled fibre roll out, is it any surprise that the main villain of the peace is....wait for it.....BT!!

Well for once, they are not entirely to blame...

Cast your mind back to 2010, when the then culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt unveiled an ambitious plan to set the UK on to the information superhighway. Superlatives aside, the plan was to open up vast swathes of the countryside to fast broadband utilising fibre optic cabling and crucially, the installation contract process and subsequent installs would be no longer held by one company......

The Inconvenient Truth !

Now the National Audit Office has found that the whole programme is nearly two years behind schedule, so it may be 2017 before the UK can lay claim about download capacities being amongst the highest in the world!! And to insult to injury, the coalition government's plan to spark a competition between telecoms firms to lay fibre across the country has also proved an abject failure. 

In practice, this means that Openreach, the installation arm of BT will effectively be the only bidder on all the fibre rollouts, and the sweetener for BT:  a £1.2 billion government subsidy..........................now that's magic as they say

I have read lots of documents in my time. Some of them good - some dense and some downright silly.

But a recent public statement made by a very well known installation manager on one of my courses took my breath away and I quote

"By providing user-friendly instruction, as well as topology, connection points, termination points and media definitions, users can "wire" a building without any prior knowledge or special skill ........."

I have personally, never before heard anything like this on a training course, that I must admit, it took me several minutes to compose myself!!!!!! 

We had a chat.....me and this "well informed delegate" and for the record, I then went on to say: 

"All cabling installations are for the large part, 'critical' for the customer. It has to work without fail and be largely installed to provide many years service.

To many people out there think that installing Cat5e or Cat6 let alone Cat6a needs no special skills. It does and to be honest, whilst I am not offended by the comments made in the classroom,we do have to vigilant and careful about the "how and why".............

Comms Cabling is a complicated and skilled, no...highly skilled and labour intensive process - no mention of any transmission characteristic testing (only for shorts and opens....get trained....get totally trained