Passing on expertise to staff through new internal scheme

» SIX decades of specialist industrial insulation expertise have been passed on to a new generation, thanks to newly-established internal training at thermal specialists PLG Insulations.

Paul Smaylen has become the first employee to qualify in an NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Thermal Insulation – Fit Protection, as a result of internal training at the company.

In doing so he has been trained by experienced engineers Richard Fairs and Tom Smith, each of whom have more than 30 years in the industry, and mentored by his supervisor Darren Dix, who himself joined Gloucester-based PLG six years ago as a trainee thermal insulation engineer.

Mr Fairs and Mr Smith both benefitted from a ‘Train the Trainer’ course run by Gloucestershire Enterprise, which equipped them with the skills to pass on their expertise and effectively deliver the training required for Paul’s NVQ.

Mr Smaylen, 29 and from Evesham, joined PLG two years ago after deciding upon a change of career from his previous supervisory role within a family-run waste management company.

He has now added certified technical knowledge and skills to his previously developed abilities managing people, problem solving and improvisation, to become a valued member of the PLG team.

Mr Smaylen said: “I’d gone as far as I could in my previous role, I saw this position as an ideal opportunity to add training to my other skills and I’m really glad that I took it.

“Now I’m at the point where I can do jobs by myself thanks to the skills which have been made available to me, so I’m really grateful to PLG for giving me this training.

PLG Insulations was acquired by the P&M Group, which includes composite panel specialists ISD Solutions, in September 2016.

Group chairman Andy Moon said: “We are all delighted and proud of Paul’s achievement and what it signifies for the potential for PLG going forward.”