David Hurst, Manufacturing Director
Fairline Boats - growth rate sustained at 8-10% per annum;
performance improved through business leadership
Championing the marine sector skills
agreement
Fairline Boats is a key player in the growing UK leisure
boat manufacturing sector. Employing 1,200 employees in
Oundle and Corby, Northamptonshire, the company has an annual
turnover of £120 million, exports 85% of its products and enjoys a
growth rate of 8-10% per annum.
The company is an active member of the
British Marine Federation and contributes to Semta’s Marine Sector
Strategy Group.
David Hurst has experienced the major impact
the Marine Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) has had on Fairline’s
business. “Being involved in the process has opened our eyes,
influenced our thinking and helped clarify things,” he
says.
Focussing on the Agreement has led the
company to put in place an effective training system for young
people, develop a process for upskilling and improve performance
through business leadership.
Apprentice training
“The Sector Skills Agreement was key to
unlocking apprenticeships in our company,” David explains.
“Previously we weren’t using an appropriate qualification and were
disappointed with the output. Discovering NVQs which had been
written specifically for the marine sector enabled us to take the
qualifications to our local college where lecturers understood them
and could deliver them to our apprentices.”
As a result Fairline has increased its
annual apprentice intake from two or three to ten.
Upskilling
Many members of Fairline’s workforce are
long-serving employees who left school with no
qualifications. Now Fairline is helping them achieve the
Level 2 NVQ in Marine Engineering.
“Employees have shown a high level of
interest,” David comments. “It’s good for morale, good for
the company and fits in with the government’s aims to increase the
number of people qualified to Level 2.”
Lean leadership
Fairline is taking an innovative approach to
tackling two of the key priorities identified in the SSA: the need
to improve productivity and competitiveness, and to develop
management and leadership skills.
In a strategic move to embed lean practices
through improved leadership, the company has restructured the
business into small sections. All 120 section leaders are
following the Level 2 NVQ in Business-Improvement
Techniques.
Sector Skills Agreement benefits
David believes that other companies should
embrace the Sector Skills Agreement relevant to them. “The
SSA matches Fairline’s aspirations and has given us a structure and
context in which to move forward,” he says. “It provides a
simple road map to follow, helping us to understand how things fit
together.”
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