Local service
by James Spillane, BMF Training & Development Manager
21 December 2017
Networking has always been at the heart of the BMF and one of the
reasons it is so popular is the huge amount of informal learning that
can be gleaned from colleagues in the wider industry. These
interactions can take place at regional meetings, social events,
specialist Forums as well as designated training days.
The BMF is making it even easier for local groups to come together for
meetings and training events, using facilities much closer to their
normal place of work. Over the past year we have been working with
members to create a network of regional hubs for local groups. Our
ultimate aim is to have at least two Regional Centres of Excellence
(RCoE) in each of our twelve regions. With seventeen up and running, we
are on course to achieve that goal.
Our RCoEs are increasingly being used for regional training days, and to
host regular seminars for groups of students studying for the BMF
Diploma in Merchanting. Encon in Chorley, one of the first RCoE to open
back in October 2016, hosts an established,15-strong Diploma group,
while new groups just embarking on their Diploma courses will meet at
Norbord in Stirling, Ridgeons in Cambridge, Worcester Bosch in
Worcester, RGB in Tiverton and Kellaway in Bristol.
The various centres will also host day courses for small groups. We
have already run training on sales, customer service, maximising margin,
the yard foreman’s toolkit and the new General Data Protection
Regulations which come into effect in May 2018. In fact, members can
request any of our courses to be run at these centres. The best way to
do so is via their regional manager, or direct to BMF Training Manager,
James Spillane.
Our sector-related Forums provide more opportunities for like-minded
groups to come together, discuss common issues, learn from each other
and to forge relationships. The BMF’s Decorating Forum, which met for
the first time this year, was held at the Dulux Academy in Slough, the
first BMF RCoE in the South East region.
We are extremely fortunate that our members are assisting in our RCoE
programme by giving us the use of their own state of the art training
and meeting facilities. The Dulux Academy is a just one example. It
opened in 2016 as the first academy for painters and decorators and can
accommodate over 4,000 trainees each year.
Our latest RCoE at Worcester Bosch is the result of another huge, £3.5m,
investment in industry training that will also benefit BMF members.
Twenty-five people attended the first BMF regional meeting held here in
October, and training courses are already lined up for the new year. As
well as the regular meetings of the West Midlands Diploma Group,
Worcester Bosch is hosting a course for supplier members, “Selling into
Merchants”.
Our RCoE’s are just the place for small group meetings and training
sessions. By bringing training closer to home, and removing the time
and cost of travel as a barrier, we want to encourage as many people as
possible to get involved and develop their skills.
BMF training ranges
from formal Apprenticeships and, with leading British universities,
sector-specific Diplomas, Degrees and a Masters Degrees in Merchant
Leadership and Strategy, to on-line product knowledge and other
specialist skills training. To find out more click
here at BMF RCoE’s or any aspect of BMF training, please email me at
[email protected] or call 02476 854980.
To view the locations of all the BMF Regional Centres of Excellence click
here
This article appeared in the December 2017 edition of Professional Builders’ Merchant (PBM)