Boost business with literacy training

By - , Build 122

Kiwi construction companies are improving adult literacy rates with workplace literacy training. It’s time you followed their lead.

Fletcher Construction apprentice carpenter Ryan Munro.
Fletcher Construction General Manager, Engineering Graham Darlow.

Fletcher Construction is boosting the quality of a major Auckland infrastructure project – and the skills of the staff involved – with workplace literacy training. The company set up literacy training 3 years ago to help employees get unit standards, become more competent at work and move up the company ladder to leadership positions. It runs a 12-week course (called BOOST) on basic reading, writing, maths and communication twice a year.

General Manager, Engineering Graham Darlow is a keen supporter of Fletcher’s literacy training initiative. ‘We knew we had a whole lot of fantastic people working for us who potentially could be promoted to leading hands, foremen and superintendents, but their lack of education meant they would probably never make it,’ Graham says.

To get things built, you need teams of people. For teams to operate in an efficient way, they have to be well led. Leaders, in turn, must be able to plan and organise. Graham finds that the best team leaders have come ‘off the tools’. ‘But if you can’t fill out a supervisor’s form or you can’t multiply, add, subtract and divide, then you’re never going to be more than a labourer,’ he says.

Literacy training improves confidence and effectiveness

Last year, 29 of the Victoria Park Tunnel Project team took part in on-site training run in work time. They were carpenters, labourers, supervisors, crane operators, leading hands and team leaders.

Graham says that training has been great for this team – beyond improving their reading, writing and maths skills. It has improved their confidence, self-esteem and effectiveness as leaders. ‘On important regional infrastructure projects like this one, we need people with high self-esteem and confidence. It helps them operate efficiently, take responsibility and be accountable.’

Fletcher Construction General Manager, Engineering Graham Darlow.

Not just work skills that are boosted

Apprentice carpenter Ryan Munro found BOOST to be invaluable and uses his new skills both at work and at play. His maths has improved heaps and he’s even cracked trigonometry! ‘Every week, I learned quick easy ways to solve real-life maths problems. For instance, I’ve learned how to calculate the volume of concrete I need for a certain area.’

Ryan finds he can work faster and doesn’t ask others for help as much as he used to. ‘If I’ve got a maths problem, I use a pencil and a piece of wood to figure it out instead of reaching for the calculator on my phone.’

Fletcher Construction apprentice carpenter Ryan Munro.

As for life outside work, he’s using his new skills a lot. ‘I worked out how much money I needed to spend on petrol to get from Auckland to Dargaville recently. It’s been great for improving my darts game too!’

For more

For more information, visit www.skillshighway.govt.nz/ind.

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Fletcher Construction apprentice carpenter Ryan Munro.
Fletcher Construction General Manager, Engineering Graham Darlow.

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