This edition Sue Potter the former Training and Development Manager of DP World and now Managing Director, S Potter Talent Limited writes about how Learning and Development (L&D) is an essential element of any successful maritime business.
If I said to you ‘Mind the Gap’, most of us will think of the famous announcement at certain London Underground stations, warning us of the gap from the train to the platform and to be careful when getting on and off the train.
If you relate this famous announcement to your business, in particular the skills within your teams, how aware are you on the skills your team members have? Do you know where the skill gaps are? Don’t just look at the skills required to carry out their role, also look at previous skills and experience they have gained throughout their career, and look at how these too can benefit and support the business needs in the short, mid and long term and assist in closing the identified gaps.
It is important to ensure you have a L&D strategy in place which includes succession planning for hard to recruit and critical roles within the business, especially whilst the marine industry doesn’t feature on the Government’s shortage occupation list, and the uncertainty of the effects Brexit will have on the available skills from the EU.
For L&D to be really effective it must support the needs of the business and be seen as a strategic partner. Now is the time to realise L&D is an essential element of any successful organisation. Investing in L&D helps organisations to manage change better, increase morale, attract and retain staff and improve the company’s competitive edge.
About Sue Potter
Sue Potter, Chartered FCIPD, Managing Director, S Potter Talent Limited and the former Training and Development Manager of DP World. With over 22 years’ experience of working as a Human Resources professional, Sue specialises in apprenticeships, talent development and recruitment strategies spanning financial, medical, oil & gas and container port sectors. She has over 10 years’ experience in leading apprenticeship programmes from creating, launching new schemes, remodelling existing ones, as well as rolling out mentoring programmes to support the apprentice on their journey. Sue has received accreditation from the appropriate professional body on all the schemes she has worked on.
