Haulage workers to learn leadership at Middlesbrough College

A group of haulage workers are going back to college to attend a bespoke course to learn leadership and management skills.

The 32 aspiring leaders from Hargreaves Industrial Services have enrolled on a 15-month course at Middlesbrough College.

The Hargreaves’ Group works on site at SSI UK, moving raw materials on behalf of the steel-making company.

The group, ranging in age from 29-61 usually work on site at SSI but are keen to acquire new management skills to benefit the company as it competes for new contracts.

Mick Doe, Hargreaves’ Operations Site Manager, said: “We were keen to develop the skills we already had on site and Middlesbrough College provides an ideal opportunity for us to do that.

“This course will confirm and enhance the management skills already acquired by the Hargreaves’ staff and in addition to gaining qualifications the experience will give them greater confidence in their leadership skills.”

When the workers ‘graduate’ in 2014 they will be armed with leadership and management skills.

Peter Wilson, Middlesbrough College’s Managing Director for Industry and Community Partnerships, said: “Middlesbrough College is working with companies from across the region to design and deliver training courses which meet the needs of individual employers.

“Our continuing investment in our facilities (not least our new STEM centre) and our people (Middlesbrough College was recently awarded the Investors in People Gold Award) underlines our determination to deliver workforce development and training solutions directly attuned to employer requirements.

“Our work with Hargreaves illustrates our commitment to working with business to ensure they have a skilled workforce that is ‘future-proof’ and which provides a foundation for sustainable economic growth and prosperity.”