FEATURE
TWO DECADES OF TRAINING
Qualified – Wood Transmission and Distribution ’ s Training and Development Centre in Darlington provides a clear three-year rolling training plan for all the company ’ s operatives and staff .
Darlington centre looks ahead to exciting future on its 20th anniversary
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
In one of the most remote parts of northern Scotland , an 87km overhead power line shows just why a training centre in Darlington is so important . The “ restringing ” of the Loch Buidhe to Dounreay line was a joint project between SSEN Transmission and Wood Transmission and Distribution ( Wood T & D ) – part of the huge multinational engineering and consulting business , Wood .
To tackle such a challenging project takes immense skill and dedication from a workforce fully trained in all aspects of the job .
And for the past two decades , that sort of training for Wood T & D employees has been coordinated in Darlington .
The centre opened on March 23 2005 in William Press House on Red Barnes Way , off Haughton Road .
In the subsequent 20 years , there have been a few changes , with the likes of the National Grid , Babcock and Mott McDonald all involved at some stage .
Amec was in charge when the school first opened , then Amec Foster Wheeler in 2014 and Wood from 2017 – and this year , the Wood T & D Training and Development
Centre ( TDC ) is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a training centre poised for expansion and development .
Construction L & D manager Steve Bath told Tees Business : “ It ’ s a facility focused on specialised requirements within our industry such as technical , health and safety , construction , leadership and quality training .
“ It ’ s aimed at getting all our staff to move towards a fully skilled and compliant workforce across all functions in everything we do – from trainee to the fully skilled and qualified .”
Steve said the training facility ’ s two main functions are to keep all operatives fully up to date with their training and bring new linespersons into the industry .
The TDC provides a clear three-year rolling training plan for all operatives and staff within Wood T & D .
The return , says Steve , is a fully trained and developed workforce , increased site safety and reduction in accidents , improved installation quality for projects , a reduction in plant and equipment damage , increased profit margins and reduced training costs as external training moves increasingly inhouse .
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