"*" indicates required fields

Do your support Maori wards for district councils?*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

"*" indicates required fields

Do your support Maori wards for district councils?*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Training and ‘business partner’ programme raises industry standards

/
2 MIN READ

Phil Tindle, HIANZ CEO, says the Association provides robust industry training as well as an innovative ‘business partner’ programme that helps its members run their business more sustainably and profitably. “The hire industry is no different when it comes to issues such as health and safety compliance, business sustainability and profitability. Through our business partner […]

Phil Tindle, HIANZ CEO, says the Association provides robust industry training as well as an innovative ‘business partner’ programme that helps its members run their business more sustainably and profitably.

“The hire industry is no different when it comes to issues such as health and safety compliance, business sustainability and profitability. Through our business partner programme we have brought in a range of qualified consultants to help members work through some of these challenges.”

He says the majority of HIANZ members don’t have the benefit of a dedicated team of advisers, but the programme enables them to access a range of business partners to assist with things such as legal advice, insurance, health and safety, finance, employment and marketing matters, which are sometimes free of charge.

“Many of the partners assisting our members have a good understanding of the hire industry. This enables them to provide tailored, long-term services and solutions to our members, rather than a generic out-of-the-box package that might suit a business in any sector.”

Two of these business partners are employment lawyers Martelli McKegg who provide a free legal and HR helpline; and health and safety consultancy company OSHbox, which is providing exclusive industry specific health and safety systems and tools to members at a discounted rate.

The HIANZ business partner programme is assisting hire firms with advice on various business aspects such as health and safety.

The HIANZ business partner programme is assisting hire firms with advice on various business aspects such as health and safety.

At the recent HIANZ Conference the Association also ran a series of expert sessions around sustainable business that helped to educate members about the cost of doing business and improving their profitability.

Phil says, “HIANZ has built the business partner initiative over the last few years, and continues to add new expert partners as needs arise”.

“To be an effective association it is essential we are able to call on people outside our core business to provide essential services that not only strengthen the operation of HIANZ but assist individual members with theirs.”

HIANZ also administers a number of training programmes for its members including the APEX Marquee & Accreditation Scheme, Portable Appliances Testing courses (PAT), and the nationally recognised, Elevated Work Platform (EWP) Silvercard Training Programme that is aligned with NZQA and delivered by over 25 trainers nationwide.

“The EWP programme allows hire companies to add a training component to their business. It also generates a revenue stream for the Association that is used to fund various initiatives to further benefit the membership. We encourage members to utilise these programmes and promote them to their customers who may also require training.”

Phil says the Association will continue to work with its members to implement specialist training for industry specific needs, where it is more practical and economically viable for it to deliver the training than for independent members to carry out in-house training.

“We understand the importance of good training, as this leads to a skilled workforce that can dramatically improve bottom line performance, adding value to products and service, and making it easier to compete in the market. Investing in, and motivating staff, also results in a higher level of staff retention, which lowers the cost of recruitment.”

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *