EAL (Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited)

Innovation equals success for high volume lean manufacturing Apprenticeship

Instructing over 1,300 apprentices in the principles of lean enterprise held the key to bringing Jaguar Land Rover’s new Evoque model into production.  Aided by EAL’s robust exams system and the expertise of its External Verifier, Pera Training took an innovative approach that achieved a 97 per cent success rate for both knowledge and Key Skills elements of the Apprenticeship programme.

Integrating new staff into a highly skilled workforce is a challenge in itself; doing so at speed and in high volumes puts added emphasis on reliable systems, specialist support and collaborative working to make it a success.

Such was the challenge facing Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) when it looked to start production of the Range Rover Evoque at its Halewood plant.  With over 1,300 recruits to bring up to speed, the initiative meant that its existing workforce would effectively double within a five month timeframe driven by tight production deadlines.

Getting it right first time

To address the skills gap, the employer’s own investment was complemented by funding from the National Apprenticeship Service and support from EAL and Semta, the sector skills council, to develop a programme that would train JLR’s new workforce with minimum interruption to Evoque preparation.

JLR appointed a consortium involving EAL recognised Centres Pera Training, Training 2000 and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Industry Forum to implement the scheme.

As Bob Kelsall, project manager at Pera Training explains, the approach built on the company’s existing training programmes to help the new apprentices fit into the workplace: “JLR is very committed to lean practices, with more than 80 percent of its staff having achieved EAL’s Business-Improvement Techniques (B-IT) NVQ.  Many of the new recruits were not familiar with manufacturing or the automotive industry, so it was essential to familiarise them with the plant’s culture and fast-track their development to create a world class manufacturing workforce.

“The volume of staff made it vital that we get things right first time.  We needed a way of avoiding the delays and expense of recalling learners to retake assessments for their Technical Certificate and Key Skills after they had gone out into the workplace.”

Meaningful experience

To provide a meaningful and interactive learning experience that was also relevant to the shop floor, Pera Training devised an initial eight-day programme around EAL’s Level 2 Certificate in Business-Improvement Techniques (QCF) that took place in an off-site training facility.

Operating on simulated production lines, teams of apprentices were tasked with producing motorcycle and sidecar kits in competition with each other: managing material costs, passing quality checks and returning a ‘profit’ from the activity.  “It provided a great environment for people to focus on lean techniques and iron out process and quality faults,” Bob recalls. “The experience showed them how the practical application of lean speeds up production, improves quality and reduces lead time”

The hands-on experience allowed Pera Training to embed the Key Skills element of the Apprenticeship programme by gathering evidence of communication and application of number from the activity.  The Centre also used Qwizdom – an electronic classroom voting system – to deliver live feedback on learners’ performance during B-IT internal assessments, so that staff could adjust the training programme and address skills gaps immediately without having to call learners back from the workplace.

Handling demand

Combining these methods made for a workable programme that surpassed the employer’s expectations.  “We were assessing up to 350 apprentices a day at one point, and after the full cohort of over 1,300 learners had finished their eight days of training, there were just 40 who needed further assessment to complete this part of their Apprentices programme,” Bob reveals.

“JLR was hugely impressed that it was possible to achieve such a high standard and 97 per cent pass rate in the allotted time, so that apprentices could progress quickly to the B-IT NVQ in the workplace.”

The willingness of EAL to embrace Pera Training’s forward-thinking methods, and handle the demands on its own systems, was vital to this success.  “EAL met with us and agreed that Qwizdom was an excellent innovation to use.  We had their full co-operation.  EAL’s onscreen exams also stood up very well to the high volume of simultaneous external assessments we ran. We had identified a risk with this part of the programme but the exams setup served us perfectly and delivered the reliability we needed to achieve our deadlines.”

Becoming the best

Pera Training’s ongoing commitment to B-IT has made it one of the largest providers of lean qualifications in the UK.  It is long established as an EAL recognised Centre and Bob explains how the relationship with External Verifier (EV) Paul Gannon has contributed to Pera Training’s own continuous improvement.

“Paul has a reputation as the most knowledgeable EV for B-IT across the country. As one of the biggest B-IT providers, we are also motivated to be the best – having an EV who is extremely strong in the subject helps us to work towards that goal. There is always room for improvement, and Paul’s expert advice helps to guide us and ensure we are taking the right approach.”

With NVQ assessments now in progress at JLR, the first successful learners received their final Apprenticeship certificates in October and some were congratulated on their achievements by skills minister John Hayes MP during a recent site visit.

The Apprenticeship programme is due to be completed in spring 2012 and will present opportunities for apprentices to further enhance their career prospects by progressing to higher level EAL qualifications.

Richard Else, operations director at JLR, Halewood, said: "The automotive industry has a critical role to play in supporting a manufacturing led economic recovery.  Our business is experiencing a period of growth thanks to investment and innovation, and we need to ensure that we have the next generation of engineers lined up to carry us forwards.  Manufacturing is an exciting industry and excellent career choice, with high quality training and a bright future.”