1. What are continuous improvement apprenticeships and who are they for?

Continuous improvement apprenticeships are for everyone in your organisation, from senior management to shop floor workers, regardless of age or experience.

I know many people still associate the title apprenticeship with younger people who are new to the workplace but what we’re talking about is simply ongoing skills development, whether that’s learning new techniques or building on existing ones

Continuous improvement is exactly as it sounds, continuously striving for better. So, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing the same job there are always new things to learn and different ways to do things.

The best way to think of our continuous improvement apprenticeships is as continued professional development programmes.

2. What are the benefits of continuous improvement apprenticeships?
The headline answer to that is minimising staff turnover, reducing waste, boosting productivity and increasing profit. 
And whilst these are all amazing and very compelling outputs, the ‘why’ is the really interesting part. 

WHY these programmes are so successful is that they develop a culture where people look forward to coming to work, a culture where everybody is empowered to identify problems and then have the ability to propose solutions and actually make the necessary changes. So, instead of just a whole host of problems landing on your desk you are now greeted with the solutions. 
People are always your greatest asset, especially those closest to your product or service. Unfortunately many businesses fall into the silo trap, where rank and department dictate whether ideas are heard or not. This typically results in an ‘us and them’ culture and ultimately leads to a lack of loyalty and ownership that in turn affects productivity and profit.

Our programmes bring together people from all levels and departments and train them in the same tools and techniques, so you immediately develop a common language, mutual respect and break through any pre-existing communication barriers. Our programmes have seen the biggest disruptors become the greatest advocates, uncovered unimaginable and unnecessary overspend and developed a workforce that really cares.

Just imagine the power of that huge pool of knowledge and of an entire workforce all pulling together in the same direction towards shared goals.

3. How does a Swift continuous improvement apprenticeship work?
As your continuous improvement partner, we take people from all areas of your organisation, from shop floor to senior management, and bring them together as a team. Over several months we train them in continuous improvement methods including kaizen, process visualisation and a host of problem-solving tools and techniques.

The sessions are fun, interactive and tailored to your business, so the learning sticks and is easily applied outside the training room. In fact, our live project element takes skill application a step further and really puts it to the test. You present us with a real problem, one that you have agreed upon with the learning team and would like resolved, and together we will apply newly acquired tools and techniques to deliver a solution. It’s such a great way to support your teams with real life implementation in a way that boosts confidence, fosters communication across departments and sets everyone up for future success.

There is of course a time investment and so, whilst many clients are keen to put everyone through the programme straight away, we generally start with one group and then slowly roll it out through the business. Not only is this sensible from a logistical perspective it also generates a buzz around the programme. As people go through the sessions any pre-existing skepticism quickly disappears and enthusiasm takes over. Words gets around and others want in on the action, so before you know it you’ve got a list of people asking to join the programme.

4. What skills will people learn on an apprenticeship?

This part really depends on what you are looking to achieve. We never take a one size fits all approach and instead prefer to tailor our programmes to suit your organisation and its people.
Typical tools and techniques covered include lean, six sigma, problem solving, workplace organisation, communication, teamwork, change management, project management, root cause analysis and sustainability.  
This list is indicative rather than exhaustive and rather than just giving you a shopping list we want to get to know your business. We take the time to learn about your people, the challenges you want to overcome and your business goals and then use this to inform a tailored programme.

5. Why should an organisation choose Swift?
In our pre-Swift lives we worked for international organisations across aerospace, automotive, logistics and healthcare to streamline operations, boost productivity and save money. In other words, we’ve been there and done that not just read the text books.
We’ve experienced first hand the frustration of change for the sake of change and training that works on paper but fails on application. Which is why our continuous improvement apprenticeships take a very hands on approach where learners are actively engaged from day one. And, we don’t just deliver the knowledge and then disappear, we stick around to help your teams integrate what they’ve learnt.

We have so many inspirational stories about the power of people development and the importance of developing a culture of continuous improvement. We really love what we do and we bring this passion to every programme we deliver. 

-Phil 

Operations Director