Research highlights the opportunity for BWF member growth

The BWF has released a report following research with BWF members about the potential for growth within their companies if skills in senior management teams could be improved.

A projected funded by the CITB Growth Fund, interviewed a sample of 40 members – predominately micro and SME – to identify where the skills gaps in owners and senior management lie with the ambition to put in place a scheme of mentoring and training support tailored for each business.

The research used the Greiner model to assess the skills within the management teams of the sample and identified that the following areas commonly showed skills gaps:

·         Strategy & business planning

·         Sales & Marketing

·         Leadership

·         Project Management and IT

·         Legislation and Regulations

The researchers used on the project also noted the importance of education on business succession planning.

It identified that there is an existing culture across the sector this of: hands on (the tools) and a focus on operations, low numbers of administrators and little focus on strategy and business planning, or sales and marketing. Addressing these skills gaps would help grow businesses and the sector as a whole.

Dave Campbell, BWF Marketing & Training Manager said:

“This research highlights the potential within the BWF’s member companies to achieve growth for their businesses by up-skilling. We will be using this research as the basis of a further bid of funding that will provide our members with the support, skills and tools to realise their businesses’ growth potential”.

The BWF’s WITForum, which managed the project, is now applying for further funding from the CITB Growth Fund to finance support for members in a mentoring-style approach, as well as group support with other members going through the same process.

Dave continued:

“It is our ambition to be able to pilot a programme of support that will provide a tailored one-to-one support for each member involved with the next phase of the programme, coupled with being able to learn from best practice that other members participating in the scheme.”

“We are working with CITB to build a programme of support that will be of real benefit to our members that will address all the key skills gaps and we hope to be able to potentially sustain the mentoring programme beyond 2014 through a network of mentors from within our membership and through additional support of the Manufacturing Advisory Service”.

Members can download the full Skills Gap Analysis report here.

Look out for more information on the website and in the newsletter about the mentoring programme.