Case study: BAE Systems, knowledge and networks
A pilot scheme to introduce residential training for quality professionals in BAE Systems is not only helping individuals to improve their skills, but also building valuable networks across the organization.
‘BAE Systems is one of the largest engineering employers in the UK, and the third largest defence company in the world,’ says Ian Mitchell, CQP and head of assurance for BAE Systems’ Submarine Solutions division, based in Barrow-in-Furness. ‘However, we are suffering from the 1980s’ and 1990s’ viewpoint that quality is a cost that can be eliminated. People retired or left and were never replaced, so we are missing a generation of quality professionals.’
Attempts to introduce distance learning for members of the quality team proved unworkable and expensive, so Ian challenged the CQI. He says: ‘The education programmes that support CQI membership are not readily available in the north of England. So the CQI and I developed a proposal.’ This proposal identified the competencies that quality professionals need to gain in order to meet CQI membership requirements, taking into account the knowledge and skills they were already developing within BAE Systems.
Having spoken with colleagues in the BAE Systems’ heads of quality forum, Ian found that other business units were facing similar training and development challenges. ‘Rather than running courses locally to business units,’ says Ian, ‘we decided it would be an excellent opportunity to have a BAE Systems residential course where we could start to build up a quality management network across the organization, enabling quality people from different parts of the business to meet up and share problems.’
The CQI planned and delivered a six-day, two-module residential course, which was piloted for 12 quality personnel in 2008. The programme was based on the CQI certificate of training in quality management practices and customised to meet BAE Systems’ specific needs to ensure that all delegates gained not only a good grounding in quality, but also a standardised approach to using the quality toolbox.
This will now be rolled out for another 40 to 50 quality personnel in 2009. Another six-day residential course will be piloted for the first group, introducing two other modules to develop their quality expertise further. Linking the training to the CQI Body of Quality Knowledge and BAE Systems’ own competency set for quality professionals provides personnel with a structured route to CQI membership.