Novel Approach to Skills Development
20 March 2006
The first TAS consultant has started a management training programme with a major bus operator in a new two-way initiative designed to develop practical skills in bus planning and management. This first arrangement, with Lothian Buses, will provide Edmund Tresham with a thorough grounding of all aspects of running a bus company. It is hoped that this pilot placement will be followed by similar arrangements with other operators, as well as ‘reverse flow’ training of bus company management recruits with TAS.
TAS Chairman Peter Huntley explained “TAS prides itself on its practical skills and knowledge but, like everyone else in the transport business, faces a potential shortage of skilled individuals to form the next generation of consultants. At the same time we are conscious that management recruits in bus companies often lack the broader grounding that allows them to be fully effective. This initiative addresses this concern by placing our graduates with an operator for a period of training and offering the same facility to our operating company partners”.
Lothian Operations Director Bill Campbell said “This is a first class opportunity for both businesses to broaden the skills of their up and coming professionals and to gain a better understanding of each other. We see significant benefits for the consultants advising the industry to have solid operating experience, and for those working in the industry to develop their analytical skills.”
TAS has discussed similar arrangements with several other operators and is also reviewing the potential for a ‘skills enhancement seminar’ for middle management as an intensive training event on topics such as concessionary fares, network planning, fares elasticity, data handling and branding.
Operators with an interest in this new initiative are invited to discuss the scheme with TAS Managing Director Adrian Grant [01772 204988 or adrian.grant@tas-part.co.uk]