Practical In Work Management Training Underway

Managers from Whanganui's Ali Arc Industries and its parent company, the Bartley Group, have engaged with UCOL’s “UCOL For You” professional development team to create a bespoke course to arm their management with the theory behind the skills they use every day.

Established in 1990, Ali Arc designs and builds the bull bars on utes and trucks across Aotearoa. Every year, they make about 2,500 bull bars for trucks, and 2,000 for light commercial vehicles, aka utes, and refurbish bull bars for those wanting to maintain a smart looking vehicle. They export their products across the Pacific, Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America - all from Heads Road, Whanganui.

Their workmanship is second to none, and their product is trusted by logistics companies and farmers, providing a protective barrier that looks stunning.

Ali Arc Industries General Manager Haig Elgar said loyalty and customer service are at the company's heart.

“We work with our clients to create custom-designed products. Our team takes the raw material steel plates and cuts and bends them into shape. We sand, pre-polish, weld, wash, polish and wrap for safe delivery.”

"All of our management team have come through from the shop floor. They know all aspects of our business and can take the reins when someone is out so we can keep on keeping on.”

Haig Elgar said his long-serving management team had worked their way up through the ranks, so the company invests in training to help them become better managers.

"We are working with UCOL for two main reasons. UCOL can provide a tailor-made course for our team – recognising the knowledge and skills they need for their stage in their career. And, because they're local – the tutors are from here, it makes a big difference."

Haig Elgar said UCOL has a reputation for using real-world practical examples of how the theory works.

UCOL Executive Director Business and Industry Partnership Jasmine Groves, said the course is led by Whanganui business lecturers Gemma Patterson and Phil Thomsen and covers introductory management topics: Motivation, Leadership and Root Cause Analysis.

"We developed the course with Ali Arc and ran three 2-3 hour courses once a month for five staff from Ali Arc and Bartley Group."

"We're local, and we come to them and deliver it in their space."

Jasmine Groves said the course is ready to be rolled out to other businesses across the central North Island, and although the ideal is to use local knowledge, external experts will be brought in to support where necessary.

"We deliver short course training at your place of work, in work time, and we tailor the course to your business needs. Whether you want management skills, or any other knowledge to bridge a particular skills gap – we’re here to build a short course that will help you to achieve your goals."

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