First Line Management Programme boosts business skills
MITO's First Line Management (FLM) programme offers contextualised management training to the motor and industrial textile fabrication industries.
"We've run our business in much the same way for 27 years, without any investment in management training despite our growth," says Robyn Breen, co-owner of MJ Breen Panelbeaters Limited. "When I saw what this programme offered, I realised it was an opportunity to lift our game - to learn more about modern business practices and team dynamics so that together we can work to our full potential."
Launched in 2006, the FLM programme is designed to meet the demands of today's automotive businesses. It provides essential training for people aspiring to, or already in, supervisory positions. The programme is suitable for people in any role, whether they're responsible for business administration or sales, or based in the workshop.
Usually completed in one year, the programme provides graduates with a National Certificate in First Line Management (Level 4). Delivered by a specialist training company using a blend of workplace training, workshops and assignments, the programme has four themes:
- Organisation and People: key organisational principles, structures and management levels, and principles and strategies for recruiting and selecting staff.
- Workplace Development: strategies for establishing and maintaining positive workplace relationships, and facilitating, reviewing and evaluating team-building processes.
- Managing Workplace Outcomes: planning, organising and allocating work to achieve business objectives, and understanding performance management planning.
- Customer Relations: establishing and maintaining quality customer relationships and explaining and applying commercial negotiation skills and techniques as first line managers.
Benefits for all
As a personal and professional development opportunity, the First Line Management programme offers significant benefits for employees and employers.
Employees gain skills directly applicable to their workplace. They also benefit from improved job satisfaction and a nationally recognised qualification that enhances their long-term career prospects.
Meanwhile, employers gain more knowledgeable and capable managers able to attract and retain high-quality staff. And of course greater skill levels also mean improved productivity, creating opportunities for growth and expansion.
Robyn and employee Hilton October decided to join up at the same time, and although they've yet to complete the course, they've identified a number of ways to improve the way the business operates.
Robyn and Hilton have spent time analysing processes in the workplace to see if they can make them more efficient, and Hilton has organised a highly successful team-building event. Now they're preparing to implement a quality assurance system - a move that Robyn says she wouldn't previously have had the knowledge or the self-confidence to consider.
"We're so much more professional in our approach, and I get a real buzz when I see the improvements we've made," she says.
