DE LA RUE IN WESTHOUGHTON HAS BEEN WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOPWOOD HALL COLLEGE SINCE NOVEMBER 2012 TO UPGRADE THE SKILLS AND ABILITY OF ITS PERSONNEL
Westhoughton: January 29, 2014
As part of its commitment to continually developing the skills and ability of its personnel, in November 2012 the De La Rue HR team at its Westhoughton site contacted Hopwood Hall College to establish what on-site training options were available that would benefit both the company and its employees.
Following a very positive response from Barry Fagan, Lead Internal Verifier at Hopwood Hall College, a number of meetings took place to develop a programme of courses addressing both the needs of the company and the staff.
A joint team from De La Rue and Hopwood Hall completed a detailed organisation training needs analysis, and identified a number of employees who would benefit from completing its NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Level 2, Performing Manufacturing Operations (PMO) course and also its NVQ Level 3, Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) course. De La Rue is committed to the development of all staff and was delighted with the programme which was to be delivered on-site at the De La Rue facility in Westhoughton from December 2012.
Paul Selby a Finishing Operative from Oldham who completed the NVQ Level 2 PMO course said; "The course has been really enjoyable and interesting. It has broadened my horizons and also in the process I have had the chance to brush up on my Maths and English.”
Ann-Marie Gallear a Quality Control Technician from Wigan who completed the NVQ Level 2 PMO course explained; "It is good to be given the opportunity to do the course which has helped to improve my confidence. I have gained more transferable skills and this allows me to do different roles within the company. I first started with De La Rue in the Holographic department, the course has helped me progress into the Quality side of the business.”
Sean McLean, Technical Lead Printer from Rochdale who is currently completing the NVQ Level 3 BIT course has been using the methodologies gained on the course including 5S, Six Sigma and Lean, in the commissioning of a new mechanical cleaning process. Sean explained; “The new cleaning system has massive potential for our site. There are significant production and cost benefits to be gained by moving away from chemical cleaning to blasting with recycled plastic shot instead. We are also reducing chemical waste by up to 40 tonnes a year which means there is also a positive environmental impact.”
As a business De La Rue strives to achieve Operational Excellence which means that the fine details and systems which support a given activity must deliver sustainable improvements to ensure that as an organisation it can continue to grow and develop. This on-site training is helping to improve the skills and ability of De La Rue personnel which supports this objective.
Lorraine Canavan, De La Rue Westhoughton HR Manager said, “We have been delighted with the programme since it was introduced in December 2012, the benefits gained by both the company and the employees have been enormous. We are keen to continue to offer training opportunities to all our personnel and therefore we are in discussion with Hopwood College to develop the next phase of the programme.”
ENDS
About De La Rue plc:
As the world’s largest integrated commercial banknote printer, De La Rue is a trusted partner of governments, central banks, issuing authorities and commercial organisations around the world.
The Group has in recent years been involved in the design or production of over 150 national currencies. De La Rue also produces a wide range of security documents including passports, driving licences, authentication labels and tax stamps. In addition, the Group manufactures sophisticated, high speed cash sorting and inspection equipment.
De La Rue also offers a range of specialist services and software solutions including government identity schemes, product authentication systems and cash management processing solutions.
De La Rue employs approximately 4,000 people worldwide and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
