ABERDEEN business Improvements and coaching firm Practical Business Improvements Ltd (PBI) has started to use its newly SQA-accredited Lean Practitioner course to help firms in the UK and overseas increase their efficiency and speed recovery from the economic effects of the pandemic.
The company, headed by Managing Director Gary Downs, became an SQA Approved Centre last December and recently saw 14 delegates graduate from its three-day Lean Practitioner course after it was awarded SCQF Level 7 status – comparable to an HNC and a rare achievement for continuous improvement courses.
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The course is an immersive hands-on experience with exams on Days 2 and 3, which enables practitioners to challenge the status quo, or traditional problem solving, by practical application of proven approaches to resolve issues and drive improvement in any business.
Its learning objectives are for the delegates to:
· Gain knowledge of Lean Mindset, Agile Ways of Working and how they can be practically deployed in any area of business
· Understand which tools are best placed to solve which type of problems and develop skills on how to select the right ones to go with first
· Gain understanding of the dedication, commitment and behaviours required when Sponsoring improvement activities
· Develop skills on how to lead, participate and sponsor improvement activities.
· Understand the role of an Improvements Facilitator, Agile Coach and how to work with them
The course material had already been developed by Gary and his colleagues over a number of years and delivered to some of its existing client base, which includes organisations in the USA, Canada and Europe as well as the UK.
Deliverable remotely or in-person
To gain SCQF Level 7 status, PBI had to develop the learning outcomes to ensure they were suitable for delivery in a remote-working environment. As a result, the course can be delivered at a client’s site, an approved centre or remotely.
It helps users create an environment where all employees’ voices are heard and provides an excellent business entry opportunity for successful candidates as it creates the full basic skill-set, enabling delivery of lean ways of working in-house or as a consultant. The course is also very attractive for today’s business environment and the challenges faced within it.
Courses have a minimum participant number of 11 people and PBI plans to run a minimum of four courses a year. Run remotely, it can take up to 16 people per course, in-person the maximum is 20.
Internationally-recognised SQA accreditation will provide PBI with the opportunity to take the course to the wider market. Although there are many Lean qualifications offered by companies, few are internationally-recognised. PBI is looking to partner with an academic institution for the course to be included as part of a qualification it offers.
Gary Downs said: “Gaining SQA accreditation is massive for us and we are feeling extremely proud. It took 18 months to achieve the course and centre approval, and it was a lot of work. It was worth it though; it allows PBI to move into new markets, that otherwise would be extremely difficult. We have had a lot of interest in the course already, so it’s great that companies are recognising the need to invest in their staff development, which will in turn aid their growth. The fact that this course is now SQA accredited is even better.”
Formed in 2013, Practical Business Improvements (PBI) is a group of experienced professionals from multiple industries, including around 30% ex-UK Services, working together to rapidly deliver performance improvements.
They offer more than 200 years of continuous improvement experience across many sectors and have a demonstrated track record of driving measurable and sustainable results while helping to develop high performance cultures.
PBI stands for the application of truly practical solutions – combining experience and practicality to collaborate efficiently and effectively within organisations, harnessing the power of internal teams.
The firm’s training exercises have been developed over 20 years to deliver real, easy-to-implement learning outcomes which can be applied immediately. For more information visit: pbi-ltd.co.uk/
