Thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) through the Local Automotive Business Support – Sunderland (LABS-S) project, the NEAA has offered a leadership and management programme to automotive businesses in the Sunderland region.
The LABS-S project, funded through Sunderland’s Shared Prosperity Fund Programme, is delivered by the NEAA and provides a package of tailored support for Sunderland businesses wanting to grow and thrive within the automotive sector.
In November, participants from seven automotive businesses attended a two-day course delivered by Dale Carnegie Training, an industry leader in professional training and development. This practical and interactive session catered to a diverse group from OEMs and first-tier suppliers, focusing on enhancing critical retention-boosting skills such as employee engagement, communication, and leadership.
Developing strong leadership is crucial for employee retention, especially in today’s competitive talent market. Studies show a 25% increase in retention rates for companies investing in leadership programmes. This course provided a vital tool to sustain and grow the region’s automotive sector.
The programme covered various elements of a high performing team including understanding leadership style, relationships, authentic leadership, sharing best practice, types of communication, honesty and integrity, collaboration and minimising conflict, influencing others, coaching and the power of recognition.
The session received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Participants reported not only skills and knowledge development but also a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Participants commented that the course helped them to be more focussed about their career and career goals, it helped them to step outside of their comfort zone, taught them to give more time to listen to people and carefully chose questioning and it helped to improve their team building skills.
Due to the success of this programme the NEAA is looking to host more of these courses. To learn more about the skills development support offered by the NEAA or take advantage of future initiatives, please get in touch with NEAA Skills Manager, Mark David on mdavid@northeastautomotivealliance.com