What a phase

Notice the lack of hard hat, Luckily this was not one of ours

Now there is safety, drinking Hot Coffee with all the PPE

I swear it wasnt me, she was going to fast!!

Have you guys seen my contact lense

"maybe under here"

"my muscles are sore from gym, I cant help that they are so big"

Due to being in the thick of things the posting has become a bit thin, so here is a big one. As can be read in the trainees blogs there has been a phase of practical experience aka grafting. The trainees where thrown into the thick of things. More of which can be read in their blogs.

The feedback I m getting now is that the experience was invaluable. Strangely it was the same for me in terms of seeing how much experience is going to be needed. In many ways it is reassuring as we can now see that we have a long way to go and that we can now pace ourselves.

As outcomes go we wanted the trainees to get hands on in no uncertain terms. So they were started on manual labour, moved to minor foreman roles and then into health and safety roles. It was amazing to see the clarity of thought after this experience.

Praise must be given where deserved and it must be said that they did themselves proud in the way they conducted themselves. From working like men on steroids to interviewing and interacting with clients , employees and all those that came with the package. It is an understatement to say that I am proud of each one of them.

I hope that if you are reading this you will have the opportunity to meet this group of people and to see the driving passion they have to learn and to make a difference. If this is what is to come in the future we can only see our world as a better place.

Thank you to Keith, Justin and Lesley for allowing us onto your sites. Without you this would have never been possible.

I hope they didnt do too much damage:)

Well not to get too soppy I have been wondering who is following this blog. So I thought we would have a competition. The prize being a ride on my bike. Just kidding.
I will buy the 15th person to e mail me a massive slab of chocolate.
So in order to win e mail me on
wlongueira@ircaza.com

If I don't get mails I will eat it myself and really get soppy.

Growth

Simply put .... Growth.

An analogy of what the PDP interns have gone through( yes Interns seems to work better for the moment) Perhaps its because our baby is due in 6 weeks, but the best way to describe our progress is with a birthing experience. The first few weeks were the contractions or as our midwife describes them "surges" powerful and painful if not understood and controlled. Hence our first weeks have been that way. Everyone going through powerful experience trying to understand what is happening and why at times it is so painful. Next comes the preparation as the baby gets ready( apologies here but I'm describing interns as babies but just the process) That is where we are everything is aligning itself, the expectations are high, people are worried, excited but most of all happy. All the ground work is being done, some of the work has been done and even more is to come as the next thing you hear is

PUSH!!!

That is where we are and are in some ways are headed towards. The interns are PUSHING PUSHING PUSHING, time for an epidural,oops too late.This is fantastic to witness as they are realising that pushing and hanging in their will deliver something beautiful.

Not to overkill the analogy but birthing and growing seems to describe this coming of age best. The growth we are seeing now is exciting to say the least. The input and work is starting to show dividend and people are now on a journey of a lifetime.

The specifics of the last 2 weeks are interesting. A week of preparation to do a presentation on how to implement a health and Safety system. This was a challenging exercise and one which I am confident that the interns will turn into a success.

This week was plain fun.We did Train the trainer With Jo the Slow Enslin, who from his wealth of experience and knowledge made training come alive. His passion and way of delivery simply puts people at ease so that they focus on learning and applying new skills.

The presentation done by the interns were fantastic and showed the growth from the first round of presentation.
One misconception Brought up by Rayno that must be addressed here is that, Mountain biking is far cooler than Road Biking. Case closed!!

Wednesday saw the interns doing Incident investigation. This has shed new light on the subject and has raised more questions than answer for the moment.

All in all a jammed backed fun week. Lets keep it up and enjoy the ride.

Really getting into the swing of things

It must be said that we are rolling on beautifully now. But before the trainees were allowed to get complacent it was time to move them out of their comfort zones. They were up to the task though. They presented as best they could and that is all I can ask of them. For many it was an amazing learning curve as they got to see what they were both capable and incapable of doing. All of which leads to growing and developing. In many regards it was a wake up call in terms of delivering on a product and they are quickly discovering how quickly things can move in IRCA.

The progress so far has been meaningfull and is like the begining of training programme. You get to see a vast improvement in your fitness in the first few months and then the hard work starts. Keeping your fitness and trying to get even better. Non the less we have the correct athletes you are ready for any challenge and you enjoy everything you throw at them.

Way to go

Top marks all round. everyone can really be proud of themselves. All the hard work and learning paid off with.
Beyond the marks the real learning is happening. Pieter manage to bring in many new aspects into the MSRM. He definitely went beyond the call of duty and his efforts are reflected in top achievements all round. It seems to be a attribute in IRCA that people give as much as they would like to receive. In the case of the PDP it seems to be happening. The feeling is becoming mutual and the trainees are seeing the true value of development. Obviously IRCA gains but it is as much or more the gains made on the part of the trainee.

Intrest from outside is increasing. I have been having many meetings,presentations and negotiations. Clients are seeing the value, it is to get them to see enough value to put pen onto paper.
We can see however that the demand is there and it is now time to plan for that demand. The evolution of IRCA, RISKMAQ and the PDP will be all the better for it. Interesting days are ahead.

On a personnel note the excitement around the baby is growing. A few more months and we are there. Strange how the birth of this programme and the baby coincide. I suppose it just means many more sleepless nights than what I planned for.

Frantic learning

All eyes are on the goal. Get the highest mark possible. We need to remind ourselves that although that is a valid goal it doesn't have to be the only goal. The supporting process around the learning for a test or assessment is as important as the test. Anyone can do well in a test but is that everything you have learnt.

The competition amongst the trainees is intense and tangible. After looking into it a bit deeper it was clear that it was a motivating and healthy component of the programme. Each trainee has the ability to challenge themselves the next phase is to challenge someone else.

The teamwork and camaraderie is still healthy and alive even though trainees are competing the see it as a necessary arrangement to help each other. Not just to be considerate but to improve every ones effort and that at times they will also need help.

Come tomorrow afternoon some sighs of relieve will be heard down the halls. A just reprieve from the training room will be welcome as I'm sure we will pleased with a job well done.

Good luck everyone and remember to enjoy it!!

Frantic learning

Presentations

Seems everyone is gaining a huge amount of knowledge this week. By the sounds of it they have many questions. Many of which I am certain they will get answered once they gain experience.
The presentations have the trainees motivated. I am looking forward to seeing what they will do. However they will need to focus for the next week in order to get over the next hurdle.

They are focusing more than they did last week and I'm sure the results will prove this. They have set the target of everyone getting 100% for the test. Lets see what happens.

They have all made contact with their mentors so it will be good to see how that interaction pays off.

What can I Say

What can I Say. Jo the slow turned out to be JO the slow. So it was up to me to put the new recruits through their paces so to speak. After asking for the fastest cart and subsequently having it bashed and tampered with by the trainees I was left in second place at the end of race one. (however have being in front most of the race I knew they were out for blood). iImanaged to negotiate a service on my cart for race three and came out to set a new lap record for our group. All were stunned in amazement and the point was proven.... it doesn't matter how fast you think you are its all about the age of the lawnmower that your engine came from.

The team building was a great success and did what it was suppose to. We now know each other that little bit better and can see where we should park our cars in the morning.

The trainees. Have received their certificates and have reaped some of their rewards for their hard work. No sooner had they recovered from week one, week two hit back. Straight into MSRM. A bit more challenging a whole lot more work. The challenge of finding time for all the various aspects of the programme is proving challenging in that one always wants to give of your best. The trainees are quickly finding coping skills that they never thought they had.

On the mentors side: Wim and Carel have come to the party and are doing a great job at giving input to the trainees. The logistics is proving to be a challenge and the role of technology is being used to link people up.

The trainees are preparing for an assessment for Friday were they will present a module on MSRM. For some it will be a new beginning as they push themselves into new areas.

Next week will be RISKMAQ part 1 so all systems are go.

What a week

Seeing things come together is a great experience. It was all made possible by the dedication of the IRCA staff. People have recognised the roles they can play and are making wonderful contributions to the Programme. It goes further than just good business practice,not to get too heartfelt but it goes into nation building and well the simple practice of people helping each other out.

The way in which the health and Safety course was delivered was such a good inclusive process. It was good to see a Carel the trainer let his hair down and enjoy even more so what he likes doing best I think it has reminded him of why he got into education in the first place. His inputs have been invaluable and the difference in the trainees is substantial.

The trainees are, or have found there feet and are now getting to the next hurdle which is to see exactly how there role will fit into the rest of IRCA. The role of safety rep for the various departments will give them and opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt and will give them an open door into corporate life.

Having done an inspection, hazard identification and risk assessment the trainees have shown the value of the practical component of learning. Under the supervision of a mentor it was wonderful to see how quickly they can come to terms with new concepts. Wow they have a lot of questions!

ON the lighter side of things many of the trainees didn't get much sleep last night as either they are stressed about the test today or they dread the fact that they are going to receive the hardest driving lesson they have ever had. Yes it is true that "JO the not so slow" Enslin is joining us in our team building in the go carts. Ironic that he will be demoralising them all so much in order to build them up again. A bit like "Camp Staaldraad" I thinks.
Seriously though it is going to be a good opportunity to get to know everyone on a different level having been couped up in a training room all week.

Here is to a great week!!

Here we GO!!

The time for talking has ended and the time to walk( sometimes crawl) has begun. It is great to see things coming together in more ways than one.

Everyone has started to "come to the Party" the support from Irca Staff members has been imense and everyone is willing to help.
From trainers you are willing to go the extra mile, to managers and mentors who are proactively bringing their ideas to the table.

The candidates are busy with their Health and Safety course, which has been an eye opener to them. The next stage is to make link the theory to practice so they will be assisting in running the health and safety in the IRCA building.
They are beginning to manage their time and have seen how much effort needs to be made to stay on top of things.

We are going to do team building next week after the MSRM course( hopefully as a celebration of passing) Go carting will be the order of the day, althogh I have it on good authority that Gamotso will get a turbo charged kart, Mxolisi will be avoiding dogs, Michael will have a V6 engine, Abrams will be a brand new family car, Rayno will have the most sensible car and yes well mine will be an AUDI.

Let the betting start???

All been said and done. Everyone is progressing well and the wheels have strarted turning.

A great Start

Well the day I have been looking forward to has come and gone. After months of preparation, meetings, proposals approvals, presentation and the like we have finally started.

Most things have gone off without a hitch, the only hick up was laptops that were delivered a day late.
All the new employees arrived early showing there eagerness to start. Lets hope it remains that way.

The faces on the first day were as can be expected, it was the look of "I don't know what to expect"
However they have quickly found their rhythm and have hit the ground running. By the end of the first days training many a tired face stared back. More from the lag of getting over the holiday season than been overworked.

Day two saw a change in the many mindsets as employees got to grips with the way things are done around IRCA and the way I do things. This meant that there was a lot more interaction, conversing and questioning. As a whole people starting to get to know each other better and for that matter start to know themselves better. They now know what is expected of them and what can be expected in the future.

At the end of day 2 they are busy completing their assessment for the mentoring training. It is going to be interesting to see how much has been learnt and what ideas they have to bring to the table.

Lets hope things stay this way and get even better.