ADS, a mechanical, building, and electrical company based in Swansea has recently benefited from a Personal Learning Account.
Anthony D’Auria, Director of Operations, talks to Business News Wales about how a Personal Learning Account allowed ADS to upskill their engineers, helping them to expand their services and bid for new business.
“In 2020 our business plan was to focus on growing our sustainability and renewable services, and to do so, we needed to expand our knowledge to ensure we had the credentials and experience to compete in the space. Yet, during the pandemic, our training budget took quite a severe hit, as we had to invest previously allocated funds to health and safety training.
“Faced with having to delay our training, we were made aware of free government support through Personal Learning Accounts – that meant we could access some tailored training through Gower College. This allowed us to upskill eight of our engineers at no cost to the business.
“We enrolled four engineers in the Re ACS qualification, and another four engineers in the Air Source and Ground Source Pumps qualification, both of which were instrumental in broadening our engineers’ skillset and knowledge.
“These new skills and qualifications allowed us to maintain our competitive edge and expand our capabilities to complete additional works for our contracts and tender for exciting new business prospects.
“Since completing the courses, we have been successful in winning the City and County of Swansea’s Renewable contract. We’ve also developed an internal member of ADS to become a manager within the business, and are now able to apply for MCS Accreditation.
“The Personal Learning Account programme has played a significant role in the development of our team. Without the use of a Personal Learning Account, we would have certainly struggled with upskilling and requalifying our engineers last year.
“And the Personal Learning Account programme has been hugely beneficial to us as a company – we’ve been able to expand our service offering and given ourselves a great opportunity to secure more renewable energy contracts.”
A Personal Learning Account can support employers to upskill their staff with free, flexible courses and qualifications to meet skills gaps now and in the future, enabling your business to adapt and respond to the changing economy.
