Executive Report:

HireTrain on track

HAE’s new HireTrain initiative aims to help members and non-member companies gain easier access to appropriate staff training. Alan Guthrie reports.

2001 could be regarded as the time from when HAE’s interest in developing new and relevant training for our industry took a significant turn. In that year, the Association lost its test case appeal against an employment tribunal’s ruling that a member hirer was ‘within scope’ of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levy, deciding that the majority of its business was in supplying contractor’s plant. The levy, based on a percentage of a company’s payroll, goes into a central fund to finance training and appropriate grants, so that, theoretically, levy payers can benefit from training worth more than their contributions.

Many hire organisations pay the levy, but grumbles have been frequently aired that available CITB training schemes do not meet hirers’ specific needs, being more focused towards plant operation. Since the test case, HAE has worked with CITB and ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for construction, to devise more relevant initiatives. As EHN reported in September 2005, measures were established enabling hirers to devise training plans for staff and, when approved by ConstructionSkills advisors, grants could be made to Levy payers towards the training, including non-CITB run programmes.

Dedicated Training Officer

The latest, and boldest, initiative is HireTrain, a joint venture between HAE and ConstructionSkills and operating as a separate division within HAE. It held its first AGM in March, at which principal officers were elected and focus groups formed to identify training needs. As well as setting realistic targets for participation, ConstructionSkills has pledged an annual grant to help fund a dedicated HireTrain Training Officer, to be appointed shortly. He or she will source suitable training and identify gaps to be addressed, as well as identifying sources of grant aid in addition to that from CITB. It is also important to point out that a hirer does not have to be within scope or paying the levy to benefit from HireTrain’s services, nor do they have to be an HAE member.

“Three groups have been formed to determine industry training requirements,” states HAE’s Technical & Safety Support Officer Kevin Minton, who is currently acting as HireTrain Co-ordinator.
“The first is assessing the needs of operatives, such as drivers, fitters, service personnel and hire desk staff, while the second is considering training requirements for managers and supervisors.
The goal is to enable a smooth progression for people pursuing a career in hire. Indeed, the third group will consider what is broadly needed to develop a clear career path for school leavers and others, in terms of target qualifications and experience.”

To exemplify HireTrain’s aims, Kevin Minton cites driver training. “Having assessed the person’s training requirements, the Training Officer would see what is readily available on the market in terms of licensing, safety, and other key skills such as trailer towing and the like. Appropriate courses could then be bought in by HireTrain and offered to hirers more easily, and more competitively, than if they had to source them themselves.” In cases where training is needed for specific or unusual tasks, the possibility of developing dedicated courses will be explored. “Other disciplines, such as dealing with customers and day-to-day tasks could be added to the driver’s training plan, so that he, and his employer, know he has attained the necessary skills.

“HireTrain effectively gives hire companies the services of their own training manager, covering all aspects of their operation. It will also target other markets besides tool hire, such as audio-visual equipment hire.”

“Tried and tested concept”

Thirty hire companies have already joined the steering committee necessary for HireTrain to operate as a training group (the minimum requirement is for 20), each paying a joining fee of £100. Two ConstructionSkills representatives also sit on the committee. “ConstructionSkills has already established more than 60 similar Training Groups supporting other construction industry segments,
so it is a tried and tested concept,” states Jim Maccall, National Training Manager with Brandon Hire and Vice Chair of the HireTrain steering committee (he also previously worked with CITB). “It is particularly valuable for smaller companies that do not have dedicated training officers. By co-ordinating hirers’ demands, HireTrain can also give them a louder collective voice to make the bodies that devise training programmes aware of their needs. Above all it will raise the profile of hire as a career choice.”

These beliefs are echoed by Claire Gains, Managing Director of Skipton Hire Centres, who is Chair of the steering committee. “Our industry is full of highly skilled people who have few formal qualifications to recognise their talents. Hire is a career that many people just ‘fall’ into – but once you are in, you are hooked. HireTrain will make it easier to source appropriate qualifications at a reasonable rate, and to a uniform standard. Some providers stipulate that a minimum number of people have to attend a course before it will run, and it can be difficult for a small business to commit to that. But if staff from several companies can attend the same course through HireTrain, it makes it easier and more cost-effective.”

Steve Booker, Managing Director of Kentec Hire, which has depots in Tonbridge and Snodland, sits on one of the HireTrain working groups. “The industry needs a basic course that we can offer new staff, covering all the Health & Safety essentials. Then you could build on that, offering them relevant options from a number of training modules, such as PAT testing, generator servicing, power tool maintenance, customer care and the like.

Enthusiastic staff

“It all needs to be hire specific. Haulage associations run expensive five-day courses for oil tanker drivers, but that’s a world away from delivering two bottles of butane gas to Mrs Smith down the road.
Yet our drivers need to be adequately trained. What we find is that, whenever staff attend training courses, they are really enthusiastic. They want to do more for the companies they work for and develop their own skills. We must ensure that we can offer them something appropriate.”

Equally positive is Stephen Dorricott, Joint Managing Director of Astley Hire of Leigh. “It can be very difficult to source relevant training, even from some of the equipment suppliers we deal with. And the expense is another factor. By acting together through HireTrain, requirements can be co-ordinated. It should also lead to consistency of qualifications, so that employers know what to look for when appointing staff, and the potential is enormous.”

David Carter, Hire & Events Director with Derby-based audio-visual specialist Quadrant Visual Solutions, states that “HireTrain should be able to source reasonably priced training that meets our needs. If you try to train staff in-house, you can run a risk of passing on bad habits. Our staff are typically involved in installing lighting equipment, staging and rigging, and we have a range of Health
& Safety training requirements including working at height, electrical safety and other aspects, as well as basic hire desk management.”

Mark Wilson, a Director of Charles Wilson Engineers, which has 11 depots from London to Liverpool and is scheduled to open another in Bristol this summer, believes an initiative like HireTrain “is long overdue. There have been other training developments in the past, but this seems far more comprehensive. No matter how large your hire organisation is, it all comes down to managing individual depots and staff, and there will always be training issues to address.
With everyone’s input we can develop solutions that encourage recruitment and ultimately benefit our whole industry.” •

Executive Hire News › Archives › May 2007 › Executive Report › HireTrain on track

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