Mark Priestman has more than 20 years’ experience in the natural stone sector. He plays an active role in the development and delivery of training in this specialist environment. Along with his father, David Priestman, he runs a training consultancy whose mantra is: Qualify the Workforce!

Most people like to think they are deriving the full potential from everything they acquire or undertake. Nobody wants to be told their car under-achieves for its spec, or that their home is so poorly insulated they might as well set up their gas heating system in the garden. In today’s economy, we want added value – and so do our customers.

Your training regime can deliver added value to your customers. Sometimes, though, it can be disappointing to see that some only ‘buy-in’ to training provision to quench the following requirements:

i)   to satisfy legislation

ii)  to meet project specifications and schemes

iii) to enhance tendering submissions.

These reasons are not bad. I, for one, have banged-on about such compliance through this column and certainly our construction sites would quickly grind to a halt if training, qualifications and personal development were not factored into our operations.

But, that said, could you be getting more out of training?

My father, David Priestman, defines training and development as: “The mechanism for getting us and keeping us on track!”

I like that. It plays well to the idea of a train on a railway line. Without learning, we could easily become derailed.

This week I have spent some time with Steve Hyatt and Fred Earl of the CITB. They defined successful learning as: “Changing behaviour.” I like that, too.

So in addition to using training and qualifications as a means to meet requirements, why not ask yourself: How are the qualifications my team members are achieving, the courses they engage in and the CPD they attend changing behaviour?

A changed behaviour ought to be evident through such factors as:

• Increased performance and motivation
• Enhanced systems and practices
• Safer methods
• Better collaboration.

But how do you build-in systems to make the most of learning experiences?

First, acquire training that evaluates itself and assesses the learners’ comprehension of the subjects they are studying while they are on the courses.

Second, when they return from the training, be less focused on getting a copy of their certificate for their file and instead read up on the course content and debrief them.

I’d recommend you tell them you are going to do this before they go on the course. That way, they will adopt a role as your firm’s ambassador and will look out for how the business might be advantaged.

Third, explore how their learning might change the businesses behaviour. If they are capable and you agree with the training as they have related it to you, empower them to spread the word. Endorse them, or at least the feedback they gave. Additionally, it is well worth creating a library of learning experience.

Get people who go on courses to produce a report and keep it on file for others to refer to out of need, curiosity or because they are going on the same course.

Do this for higher education learning, technical instruction, manufacturer training, even first aid. You can even use the reports as a tool when giving people their regular appraisals.

Naturally, meeting requirements will still be a significant reason why you get the chequebook out and enrol employees on courses. But why not make sure you get the full potential from their training and gain your business some added value that will be much appreciated by your customers.

Mark Priestman is a Partner at Priestman Associates LLP, a leading façade preservation project consultancy. From stonemasonry and heritage skills through to Site Supervision and Conservation Management, the partnership is trusted by the leading brands of the sector as an NVQ provider for experienced, upskiller and apprentice workers. Mobile: 07876 687212