Over the years, it has always struck us just how many so called clichés turn out to have more than a ring of truth about them.
Apart from, that is, that football commentator who declared that one of the games in Euro 2016 was a game of two halves after it had gone into extra time and penalties. Not withstanding that faux pas, most clichés do turn out to hit the proverbial nail firmly on the head.
One of particular merit – and a phrase that will be familiar to any ex services personnel is: ‘ train hard, fight easy.’
Training is the fundamental reason our armed forces remain renowned throughout the world and essentially why team GB performed so heroically at the Brazilian Olympic games, bringing home a stunning record haul of 67 medals in the greatest ever diversity of disciplines.
Sadly, and despite such clear positive examples of cause and effect, all too often training is seriously underplayed in the workplace.
Many reasons can be cited, lack of time, lack of money, a know-it-all attitude – but the truth remains that we do not take training as seriously as we should in this country as a whole. And one of the biggest offenders has traditionally been the construction industry.
With Building regulations and rules governing so many aspects of running a small business changing seemingly on a weekly basis, and manufacturers introducing ever more technically advanced products, it is virtually impossible to keep up to date with it all without some professional outside assistance.
Luckily help is close at hand because inside the building sector there are currently more training courses on offer than you can shake a building inspector at.
Manufacturers have come to realise that a quick way to get their expertise in front of a potential customer is to run a session on the issues their products help to solve. Whilst this is a tad cynical, it remains a good way for contractors and installers to gain additional knowledge and new skills.
Various industry associations have thrown their weight into the ring, with courses, accreditations, certifications and examinations now available in every conceivable topic from sustainable drainage solutions to energy provision as well as a plethora of environmental issues.
With so many training courses now on offer, not surprisingly it is sometimes difficult for tradespeople to decide which ones to attend. However the deluge of choice should not be a reason to avoid gaining the obvious benefits available.
If quality training is the route our 27 gold medal winning competitors used to achieve their unprecedented success, who are we to sneer at it in respect of other important highly competitive sectors of everyday life.
With such a wide choice of courses, seminars, conferences and exhibitions at hand (and to rehash an old favourite), ignorance is no longer bliss. Just make sure you don’t lose sight of the wood from the trees and give up the day job in the process!
