The McGrath Group is bringing best practice in waste management to its own customer base by improving the technical knowledge of their client-facing staff. A rolling programme of technical training attended by drivers and collection operatives will enable them to pass-on practical skills to facilities management staff that will help to optimise the efficiency and environmental performance of the process.
So far a dozen of McGrath’s logistics employees have received the training which is accredited by the Waste Management Industry Training & Advisory Board (WAMITAB). The month-long courses, which are delivered by approved supplier, Building Learning UK Limited, consists of classroom-based training and practical assessments which cover the following topics:
• Waste sorting and segregation
• Avoiding contamination
• Site waste management planning
• Environmental/Health & Safety legislation
• Waste handling techniques
Operatives attending the course receive an NVQ level 2 in “Removing Non-Hazardous Wastes”. It is expected that the remainder of the company’s sixty drivers and collection operatives will receive this training by the end of 2012.
“By improving the technical knowledge of our customer-facing staff we will be able to share best-practice and practical tips on sorting and segregating waste and avoiding contamination at point-of-contact which will help us to streamline and enhance the sustainability of the service we provide,” says McGrath’s Business Director, Tara Donaghy.
Established in 1989, WAMITAB is a company and registered charity that is tasked with supporting training & technical competence in the UK’s waste management industry. WAMITAB is the awarding body for technical qualifications in the waste industry.
Sue Wright of WAMITAB says, “In tough economic times, research shows that updating the skills of staff or retraining them in new areas improves an organisation's productivity, profitability and ability to adapt to change. The work that Building Learning Skills, one of our accredited centres, has undertaken with McGraths will pay dividends in the future”.
