Westway staff learn FM virtually

10 March 2011

Westway creates virtual Training Academy for staff to learn while on the job.

Gaining practical qualifications when training on the job is always a challenge. Westway has made the task easier by creating a Virtual Training Academy. This will help its trainees and staff juggle the dynamics of workplace demands with anywhere-anytime learning to gain appropriate Institute accreditations and NVQs.
Established in 2000, Westway Services Limited delivers built environment services from design to installation, Energy Management, reactive and planned preventative maintenance. The Academy’s first course is Facilities Management with Level 3 Accreditation to the Institute of Leadership and Management and has already attracted 18 students in its first month. This is a rolling one year course that enables staff to join at any time. Other courses to be added this Spring include NVQ Level 2 in Business & Administration and a Level 5 programme in Leadership and Management.
The new initiative will help the engineering company move the focus from legislative technical requirements to full management and leadership development training.
Prior to creating the Academy Westway undertook an internal review to understand existing competences and capabilities within the workforce. It then created a skills matrix and completed a gap analysis to reveal the company’s strengths and weaknesses.
Armed with this intelligence Westway worked in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Facilities Management (CEFM), Greater Manchester Universities and Asset Skills to develop the virtual training capability.
The interactive tri-party working group defined the initial requirements. Asset Skills spearheaded course selection and CEFM provided guidance on best training for internal and external staff. The collaboration identified NVQ and ILM qualifications as the most appropriate learning programmes and Asset skills were able to select a training provider capable of delivering a consistent approach across the UK.
The Academy represents a major investment for Westway and MD Andy Donnell said he was "delighted to see our first staff members coming through - it demonstrates our ongoing focus on training and development".
Established in 2000, Westway Services Limited has enjoyed continued significant growth, year on year. Westway Services carry out all aspects of works related to built environments, from design to installation, energy management, reactive and planned preventative maintenance.