Tailored innovative approach to build business leaders

Leadership capability is quite often learnt on the job. However, many businesses are now reaping the benefits of investing time and resources into their people of all levels, with the help of Wintec | Te Pūkenga. 

Today’s business environment requires resilience, adaptability and practical skill sets around business topics such as communication, dealing with change and conflict, and strategies for developing teams.

For four years, Wintec | Te Pūkenga has offered tailored professional development programmes for businesses. Companies that are continuing to experience great outcomes from these programmes include Foster Group, Kalós Windows & Doors and Vestas New Zealand Wind Technology Ltd, to name a few.

Service Coordinator at Vestas, Karyn Brown, said staff undertook a tailored two-day mental health programme facilitated by Wintec | Te Pūkenga.

"The course was beneficial to all who attended as it provided a good grounding for identifying potential behaviours in staff and other people that could indicate some mental health issues. It also gave staff the tools to help approach and support these people and offer some options for assistance. Given the industry we are in, identifying any potential issues with staff is crucial as our staff work at heights and around high voltage electricity," she said.

Brown said Vestas Australian head office HSE department investigated all options available in New Zealand and decided on the Wintec course as the most suitable.

"The trainers were fantastic. Associating real-life examples with what we were learning helped us retain the information. From this course, I personally identified areas where I could make changes in my role to better my mental health, which is now much better as a result.

 

"We definitely recommend this course. It has invaluable tools for everyday people in a world where stress, and mental health are being challenged daily," Brown said.

"We want to make these programmes available to any business. We have an amazing team of facilitators available to support here. We understand that each business is unique, so we tailor them to any business needs, so it is delivered at a time and location that suits best."

Wintec offer around 70 different professional development programmes, all of which can be tailored to the needs of each industry.

There are two training consultants in the team, Marty Lowry and Michelle Pearse. They connect with leaders and senior managers of a given business, to discuss the specific areas of personnel development required. A training needs analysis is completed in order to provide the most appropriate tailored programme.

Each topic is run as a one-day workshop, Pearse said they are very interactive and the participants learn a lot from the facilitator as well as each other. The workshops are designed to provide skills-based learning relevant to the workplace environment.

“We tailor the workshops to a variety of needs such as personal performance, leadership development, mental health, first aid and more,” Pearse said.

She said there could be more than one facilitator working on the programme depending on the needs of each business.

“It’s about connecting each company with the relevant subject matter expert, in order to help them learn and grow in the way they want to,” she said.

Wintec resident facilitator, Delia Beuker, has an extensive background in people development and communications, having worked with a large range of industries - from small business to corporate environments for over 25 years.

Beuker understands how challenging the current business environment is and the importance of upskilling individuals and teams to be more adaptable, resilient and confident in their day-to-day roles.

“We’re moving forward from the pandemic now, and what’s really important for businesses going forward, is that leaders and their teams are aligned through common goals and work towards creating a really positive workplace culture – that’s vital.”

Beuker said for a business to perform at its best, its people needed to be at their best. This was something Wintec | Te Pūkenga could help with through these tailored programmes.

“We’ve already helped so many businesses. Those who have successfully completed the programme, have just gone from strength to strength. The purpose of each programme is really to enable individuals to find their strengths so they can become more confident and be more effective in their decision making and in their roles as a whole. This is what we have seen happen in the likes of Vestas.”

Right now is the perfect time to take your business forward into the future. To talk to our Professional Programmes team about your business goals and how a tailored Leadership Programme can work for you, contact: Michelle Pearse: michelle.pearse@wintec.ac.nz or Marty Lowry: marty.lowry@wintec.ac.nz