It’s time to train

The time is right to invest in training to ensure excellence and an ability to reap the rewards when the world emerges from the current difficult economic conditions, says Ross Moloney, CEO at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA).

The world is experiencing all kinds of macro-economic turbulence at the moment. As if the after shock of the pandemic and supply chain disruption wasn’t sufficient to deal with, along came war in Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis. This is all adding to the global problem of high inflation and increased costs for borrowing.

Lifting of course remains both ubiquitous and essential in keeping all kinds of operations going, irrespective of economic conditions. However, as a global association with 1200 members throughout the world operating across all major sectors, LEEA is acutely aware of the cost pressures being exerted on our industry. It’s the number one challenge that our members are up against at the moment. Energy is so expensive as are raw materials – which can also be extremely hard to get your hands on at times. And then there are escalating wage bills to consider. LEEA is trying its best to support our members through this really difficult time.

The economic cycle will, of course, see conditions pick up. When this does happen it is important that members have the agility they need to deal with whatever the near-future has to throw at us  – including coping with increased market activity and growth. In such circumstances, having to turn business away and missing new opportunities that might have contributed to your future success will be very frustrating. The worst possible action can often be inaction. Far better, surely, to be in a position to reap the rewards from growth when it arrives? This means ensuring the provision of excellent and flexible solutions – a strategy that will often rely on the vital ingredient of investment in training.

With many sectors facing skills shortages, it makes sense to ensure staff are as productive as they can be. Training is one of the best methods for achieving this goal as well as for creating value-adding expertise. It is also a big part of what LEEA does. Our training offer has evolved and continues to develop into the future. We are currently rolling out a programme of launches for the Association’s new suite of courses incorporated into the Academy 2.0 Project.

As part of LEEA’s support to our members, our training costs have come down and we have reduced prices. This, we trust, will assist members seeking to invest in developing their staff’s expertise, in addition to assiduously adhering to high standards and quality in their field that will, in turn, support supply chains throughout industry.

This level of excellence was well represented by LEEA members at LiftEx in Aberdeen, which together with the well-earned LEEA Award winners, is extremely encouraging for our industry’s future. Perhaps the most heartening aspect from the event was the students attending the Careers Day showing so much enthusiasm for, and interest in, what the lifting industry does in so many sectors.

This is an important point, because training also encompasses the creation of paths into lifting such as the apprenticeship, working with Robert Gordon University and the Think Lifting school engagement programme. The Military Transition Scheme (MTS), meanwhile, extends our training offer to military leavers and veterans. Those who are registered with the MTS can expect to gain access to Foundation Certificate training free of charge, which will give them a great underpinning of knowledge before they enter the industry. This benefits our members and our veterans who rightly deserve this route.

To this collection of pathways, we can now add Internships – both within the Association and our members’ operations. Here, we see LEEA managing a database of candidates to match them to available internships. This is a work in progress, of which you can expect to hear more about in due course.

While the global economy’s immediate future is dominated by unpredictability, training is one certainty you can count on and therefore invest in. So the time is right to look all new training opportunities. For further information, please contact academysupport@leeaint.com.