Skills for success

Manchester's Manufacturing Institute, which is one of the UK's first Regional Centres for Manufacturing Excellence, is helping employers to raise shop floor performance through its new Team Leader Development Programme.

Led by high-achieving manufacturers from Britain's award-winning best factories and skills development experts, the 15-day highly practical development programme is designed to shape first line management skills and the behaviour of shop floor personnel.

It will provide a practical tool kit for those who need to motivate themselves and others, build team co-operation and trust, solve problems, improve processes and add value. This is a low cost opportunity for shop floor personnel faced with increased people, process or problem solving responsibilities to learn from others who have been there, shared the pain and beaten through to real success.A 60 per cent subsidy is available to small and medium sized companies registering on the programme before March, thanks to the European Social Fund.

The programme will promote best practice, incorporating visits to and presentations from fellow team leaders and shop floor personnel at Best Factory Award winning companies. It is designed to minimise workplace disruption running over 15 days between April and July taking up an afternoon and an evening.

For further information about the programme and details of subsidies contact Jo Britton on 0161 872 0393 or log on to www.manu-online.com.

Delegates require no previous qualifications to join the programme, although a reasonable level of literacy and numeracy and genuine enthusiasm are essential.

Commenting on the pioneering training initiative, Dr Julie Madigan, chief executive of The Manufacturing Institute, said: "The future competitive success of manufacturing companies will be driven by levels of shop floor performance far beyond the mere fulfilment of job descriptions.

"This is the critical area where employers can really raise the stakes and boost their bottom line."