Rowlinson Timber is significantly stepping up its training involvement to improve timber knowledge and skills among staff and merchant customers.
Internal training at the leading softwood importer and distributor will comprise a wide range of Builders Merchant Federation (BMF) courses.
“This is the company preparing for the future,” said commercial assistant to the managing director Robert John. “We have to ensure that we’re equipped for trading conditions now and be well-placed for the market upturn.”
Initially Rowlinson approached the BMF to organise training for its Grimsby port manager designate Lee Patterson.
“Having spoken to them, we felt that if we devised a training project for Rowlinson Group, Rowlinson Timber and Rowlinson Garden Products, there would be a major benefit to employees and the business,” said Mr John. “The bonus was that we could apply for Builders Merchant Training Trust funding.”
So far 33 staff have signed up for the training, adding up to 148 course placements, with subjects ranging from stock and people management, to healthy and safety.
To formalise its involvement in customer training, Rowlinson launched its own Timber Academy at its Grimsby site last summer to offer a two-day “Introduction to Timber” course.
“This started as an initiative to update our own product training, but we realised the potential for involving customers,” said Mr John.
The Academy course covers carcassing, structural applications of timber, treatment, strength grading, joinery and panel products and includes “hands on sections and very informal tests”.
To date, customers ranging from national merchant chains to smaller independent family businesses have had staff on the course and through 2009 Rowlinson expects to be training up to 12 students a month.
