Skills overhaul boosts productivity at BASF
6 Feb 2012
BASF has reported significant improvements in productivity following a National Skills Academy Process Industries (NSAPI) programme to assess and raise the level of competence of operating staff at its Bradford and Grimsby sites.
According to NSAPI, BASF has a well-established commitment to training and development, but recognised that the Skills Academy could bring an objective approach to its skills and training infrastructure.
Under its programme, NSAPI checked employee skills levels against the independently verified Gold Standard - a competency framework for the process industries. It also examined the training infrastructure at the Bradford and Grimsby sites, including the training material, standard operating procedures and assessment packs used to develop and maintain competence.
The training infrastructure was analysed using the ASET (assessment system for employer training) tool. At the same time, NSAPI carried out a training needs analysis (TNA) exercise, which involved interviewing selected staff members to assess their level of competence against the Gold Standard role profiles.
The TNA identified a lack of process knowledge and interventions have now been put into place, including several employees receiving BIT training (business improvement techniques) level 2 training, which helped to reduce significant amounts of waste throughout their processes. Several employees have since gone on further to study BIT Level 3 and this has also led to further cost savings.
According to one BASF shift manager. “The Skills Academy helped to identify funding and they also connected us with a NSAPI-accredited training provider. Since the BIT training the whole place looks and feels different.”
Representatives from a number of areas were interviewed as part of the overall site review, covering production, process support, warehousing and engineering.
This formed an informal focus group, providing an overview of the training structure, delivery mechanisms, assessment processes and recording and monitoring systems.
BASF has since gone on to recruit a training manager responsible for the management of training at both sites, as recommended by the Skills Academy.
