Keltbray recently won Construction News’ Training Excellence Award 2019. Holly Price, Keltbray’s Group Training and Development Director explains why it was well deserved.
In a recent staff survey, when we asked “what makes Keltbray great?”, the top answer was ‘training’.
Speak to any of Keltbray’s employees and it’s clear that our investment in training offers an excellent service to the community, the team and the industry. In the past eight years, we’ve invested £14.5m in training: this year alone, £2.7m was invested in ensuring our employees uphold industry-approved standards. In short, 40 hours of training per employee from four-well equipped and certified training centres is guaranteed.
We pride ourselves on putting training above everything else. Reflecting our community-oriented spirit and our value in health, safety and wellbeing, the wide range of training services offered should encourage employees to further their interests and skills. We believe only in the ‘right people’, but that they have ‘the right skills’.
This year alone, we’ve delivered 62,000 hours of training and assessment services and provided accredited courses from short interventions through to apprenticeships across organisations such as CITTB, NFDC and NSAR.
While training courses are required for all construction companies, we continually advance our approach and delivery to training and encourage even those operating at management levels throughout the business to continue their education, breeding a culture of curiosity and development.
Did you know that the Asbestos in Soils practical training course we offer is the first in the UK? By “enabling learners to put their theoretical skills to practice”, it ensures that when Keltbray workers carry out actual excavations, they are equipped with the best skills in the sector.
Indeed, even our training facilities were created with purpose. Partnering with Askham Bryan College in 2018, we ensured our D&T sector employees had an outdoor overhead line facility to further their skills. This project is another example of the continued commitment and enthusiasm Keltbray embodies in training.
But it’s not just about practical training. We also offer training to optimise our workers’ health. In association with the Vector Equilibrium, we train individuals to regulate their health and deal with new challenges and stressors to improve performance and overall wellbeing.
Putting training first also means putting our workers first. From deploying the only female demolition trainer and assessor in the UK, to working with former offenders in our engagement teams, the people that make up Keltbray are given chances to be a part of the company’s mission in development and expansion.
Our work with the community, charities and not-for-profit organisations is a key element in our success. Meaningful work is at the forefront of our mission. By training disadvantaged people and hard-to-reach candidates, we achieve just that.
Keltbray aims to bring the best possible benefits to its community and clients. With a total of 221 apprentices and trainees across the Group, we know that without our people, and without their training, we are not truly Keltbray.
For more information, visit our Training page or view our courses.
