Learning at Work Week with Artex
We're celebrating Learning at Work Week uncovering the support we offer to bring our commitment to continuous learning and development to life for all of our colleagues.
We encourage and support personal development across all departments and levels of responsibility, whether that be through apprenticeships, short training courses or even becoming first aid trained. All learning and development can be a great pathway to a career in a new area of our business or to develop expertise and knowledge in a colleague’s current role. We’re passionate about developing our people and providing continuous opportunities for career progression within the Saint-Gobain group.
To find out more about the different types of learning and development we support, we spoke to a few of our colleagues who are currently learning at work.
Apprenticeships
Ryan told us; “I’ve been working at Artex now for almost three years and previously worked at British Gypsum in a similar role. I wanted to progress my career and needed more skills and aptitudes to be able to do so, so my Line Manager suggested taking on an apprenticeship.
“The apprenticeship course I am doing is a Level 3 Leadership & Management programme. It’s made up of five main modules and culminates with a project presentation, professional conversation and end-point assessment. The modules are designed to improve my skills as a manager by first identifying what my strengths and weaknesses are, then addressing how to have difficult conversations and influence others, how to manage a project with appropriate project management tools, how to lead people and finally how to manage people. In addition, I am also being supported to complete a diploma qualification alongside the course.
“For me, one of my biggest areas of development is the ability to hold difficult conversations and influence others, so this is the part I am most enjoying about the course and what I’m learning the most from."
First Aid Training
Learning and development does not always need to be something relating to your job role. For example, we also supply opportunities to undertake courses in first aid and mental health first aid training. Lucy Billing, Digital Marketing Assistant at Artex, has recently qualified as a First Aider and here is what she had to say about her training: "It was such great training with St Johns Ambulance. I have been wanting to do first aid training for as long as I have known and as soon as the opportunity came up with Artex I jumped at the chance. I wanted to learn first aid training not just for safety in the workplace but for my life in general. I am now one out of thirteen staff who are first aid trained at Artex. "
Personal Professional Development Coaching
We also caught up with Rob Stewart, Commercial Director at Artex, who has been working with Kelly Wakeman from Start Inspiring on some personal professional development coaching. Rob said “I’ve been working with Kelly as part of my continual leadership development. The focus on developing leadership skills in an ever-evolving workplace is so important to help guide our team and to achieve our strategic ambitions as an organisation.” Here is what Rob had to say about learning at work:
Why is learning at work important to you?
I proactively encourage the continuous professional development of my team and all colleagues throughout the Artex business, I know this starts with and includes me. Having developed my career through sales and business development roles into management and leadership, I understand first-hand that learning and development in the workplace never stops.
Do you wish you had done it sooner and would you recommend a career at Saint-Gobain?
Of course, this has been the natural progression of my learning & development journey. There are loads of great resources within Saint-Gobain for people to access to get started or help build on what’s already been done. My journey started with understanding more about myself through Colour Insights & MBTI profiles – something I’m now working with my team. Learning and Development are a part of the culture within our organisation and that makes a huge difference on a personal level.
It’s not always about the learning for the specific individual but the learning for the coach themselves.
Kelly says “Coaching Rob has been an absolute pleasure, he is committed to self-discovery and continuous self-improvement and isn't afraid of some tough love and hard work. With my clients I tend to focus on the whole person, both personally and professionally, creating awareness and support so they can become the best versions of themselves and live life in a holistic and authentic way that boosts energy and performance.
“For me, with the pace of change we are experiencing in the industry, it's imperative that we invest in continuous learning and development at a greater or at least equal speed to the speed of change being experienced. At Start Inspiring we help leaders to unlock potential and create irresistible organisations. We focus on 3 areas: Leadership, Strategy and Culture. Our website is www.startinspiring.com”.
Lifelong learning helps us become more confident, curious, purposeful and skilled. It enriches us, bringing joy, connection and understanding of the world, enhancing wellbeing. By learning, we can achieve personal aspirations and organisational goals, and we can address and deal with challenges big and small.
If you want to discover a career in construction at Saint-Gobain then take a look at the careers website here