Industrial Training Project Delivered on behalf of NIPA
The Northern Ireland Polymer Association
is a local employer-led trade association
for the polymer industry and represents
approximately half of the
companies in Northern Ireland.
Aims of the Project
In performing the role of Sector Training
Council in Northern Ireland, NIPA plays
a crucial role in forging links between
employers, training providers and
government in identifying and addressing
skills issues and implementing strategic
actions to address these issues. One
such action was the Industrial Training
project funded by the Department for
Employment and Learning through which
NIPA engaged the services of Polymer Processing Research Centre to
manage the project and deliver a number
of bespoke training courses to companies
throughout Northern Ireland.
Results of The Project
Drawing on their wealth of industrial experience, many of the engineers employed in PPRC visited the companies taking part in the project and carried out Training Needs Analyses to determine the skill level of the employees before developing detailed training programmes in conjunction with senior management in the companies
Once the course content and level had been established, the PPRC engineers went on to deliver the courses either on site in the company premises or off site in the PPRC laboratories. In providing this bespoke service, PPRC took into account the shift pattern worked in many of the companies and the course were delivered at times agreed with the company to minimize disruption to production. Course delegates underwent an assessment process before being awarded certificates of attendance. The courses’ content covered a wide range of subjects including extrusion, rotation moulding, materials appreciation and trouble shooting.
