Dutco Balfour Beatty announce opening of new Training & Development Centre

Dubai - October 14: Dutco Balfour Beatty L.L.C. officially inaugurated its new staff Training & Development Centre in Jebel Ali.

The Dhs.2.5 million facility, will offer a comprehensive range courses including of HSE, construction skills and general management training.

One of the more pressing risks that face Dubai and UAE based construction companies as they grow and expand is the steady and unavoidable dilution of Company culture that is a result of the inability to attract suitably qualified resources.

Besides strict recruitment procedures, the training and development centre will serve as an invaluable catalyst towards ensuring that along with safety and quality, core values like company culture are embedded at all staff levels.

The Centre is certified by both the UK's CITB-ConstructionSkills Authority (a partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, the Construction Industry Council and CITB Northern Ireland) and the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) as an approved training provider for a range of HSE courses.

The offered HSE programs include; Health and Safety Awareness, Site Supervisors' Safety Training Scheme, The Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS), The Site Management Safety Training Scheme Refresher Course, IOSH Working Safely and IOSH Managing Safely.

"The dual certification is indeed an honour and we have already completed 11 IOSH training courses at the Centre. Participants receive certificates from the relevant bodies and these courses will only serve to improve the HSE performance of the individual employees, our work sites and ultimately the industry as a whole," said Grahame McCaig, General Manager Dutco Balfour Beatty

The construction skills assessment and training program has been developed in line with the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC). This program is aimed at improving the capability, productivity and general safety awareness of all our artisans and covers basic and advanced essentials for scaffolding, carpentry, plastering, block laying and steel fixing.

The initial assessment and training programs have already commenced at the centre that can easily accommodate up to 50 people at a time and offers comprehensive theoretical and practical training, utilizing the proven EDP (Explain, Demonstrate and Practice) method.

The facility also imparts a comprehensive management training regime to effectively assist junior level engineers and quantity surveyors attain the skills necessary for Project Manager and Senior Quantity Surveyor functions.

DBB has, in terms of turnover, grown 12 fold over the past 6 years and its labour force has ballooned from 2000 in 2002 to just over 16000 today. Our staffing levels have moved by similar percentages. The impact of all these additional people is the inevitable dilution of Company Culture which, in our case, has been built over the past 30 years.

"The dynamic development of the construction industry gives way to a potential increase in incidents of unacceptable HSE practices and reduced quality across the industry. The overall skill level declines resulting in a drop in overall efficiency and productivity," said McCaig

"The business risk associated with dramatic increases in resource levels is significant and we have had to implement specific strategies, one of which was the establishment of a Training and Development Centre, to assist us in the management of this risk," he added

The Training and Development Centre remains at the core of the DBB medium and long term Dubai strategy and our ability to provide an educated, capable and motivated work force will ensure the future of this business in the years ahead.

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