An accident involving a fork lift truck still occurs almost every week it the UK. 70% are preventable. And while Swindon hasn’t had an accident in a while that didn’t save one Swindon Company from being fined £60,000 in November 2017 for not having a proper risk assessment for forklift truck operations.
Three local businesses have been motivated to do something about it for different reasons. Responsive Personnel a leading Swindon Recruitment Agency, Be More Effective a top business skills training consultancy and Mr Shifter, the highly rated Removal and Storage Company.
Danny Kimber, Managing Director of Responsive Personnel says “There are simply not enough Fork Lift Truck Drivers in Swindon. Our town has so many warehouse, distribution and logistics companies, many expanding and many struggling to meet the demands of their workload – we feel that by providing top class training we can help many people unlock a new well-paid career and also enable many businesses to unlock the potential in their workforce.”
Danny had been looking for a facility to create the training centre for over a year when he met up with Clive and Tom Page from Mr Shifter. Clive recalls their meeting. “It was one of those unplanned events that has changed the direction of my business interests. Our removal company is growing so fast we decided to take a much large warehouse, one we could grow into – and then I met Dan, by chance, and his enthusiasm for a top-class training arena caught my attention.” Tom added “We have Fork Lifts in my company and we know how vital it is to move our client loads around safely and efficiently. I don’t think we treat this key business skill well enough, I don’t think we have enough of the right type of training available locally, so we decided to help Danny make it happen. Building the two classrooms and the skill practise arena has been great fun.”
The third business leading this new Swindon venture is Be More Effective, known for it’s business growth sales consultancy, corporate internal communication expertise and world-class sales training. When asked why he has decided to get involved, Bob Hayward the Managing Partner at Be More Effective said, “I remember my first ever temp-job as a teenager when I left school. I was working as a “mate” in a factory making metal balconies. One day my supervisor asked me to help load a batch of railings onto a truck – I didn’t know he meant drive the Fork Lift Truck. I was both excited and scared, they had taken weeks to make and if I dropped them, or damaged the lorry, or worse hit one of the lads… Looking back I cannot believe they let me do that without any training. So when Danny, Clive and Tom asked for my input I jumped at the chance – I have a passion for adult business skills training, whether that is a soft skill like time management or a hard skill like driving a fork lift truck – I am determined to create a driver training school that is a relaxed, fun, safe and yet challenging place to learn these vital skills. It is fantastic to see people unlock their potential and grow their careers.”
David Gearon has been recruited as Lead Trainer and he is so excited about this new opportunity. “It is brilliant to be involved from the beginning, setting the standards high, finding the best equipment to use, creating a skill practise arena – having been around Fork Lift Trucks for many years and worked with some of the best trainers in the UK I know how important it is to train people properly. It really annoys me when I’ve visited sites and seen unsafe practise. A Fork Lift Truck, handled badly can hurt or kill someone – I want to provide the best training that I can so our delegates are some of the safest and most efficient in the Country – that is want we mean by unlocking your career and unlocking your potential”
One thing is for sure – with three top Swindon Businesses backing Key Performance Training – it is off to a flying start.
For more information – please contact Bob Hayward
Phone: +44 (0)1793 975 353
Postal Address: Key Performance Training Ltd, Crowood House North, Gipsy Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 8YY.
Email: bob.hayward@keyperformancetraining.co.uk
Website: https://www.keyperformancetraining.co.uk/
