Jason Daniels, technical manager at In-Comm Training, has been named as The Manufacturer’s Employee of the Month May 2017.
What is your role and what are your main responsibilities?
I oversee the engineering side of the business, developing the training programmes, managing our trainers and ensuring the quality of the provision meets the required standards.
My responsibilities include our academy at Aldridge and ITAS in Shrewsbury, which we run with Salop Design & Engineering. We have more than 450 apprentices working towards Level 2 and Level 3, with more experienced employees attempting to secure Level 4 in management.
I’m currently working on developing the programmes for the £3m Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT) in Bridgnorth, and writing bespoke trailblazer courses for employers that are looking to take more control of their training requirements through the recently launched Apprenticeship Levy.
What are the key technical skills you use?
I started as an apprentice toolmaker 27 years ago and have spent nearly three decades working in manufacturing on projects for Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, JCB and Caterpillar.
This has given me a wealth of experience in engineering, processes, project management, lean manufacturing and how you get the most out of a team – all technical skills I now use to help train the engineers of the future.
What personal characteristics help you in your role?
I’m a people person – I have to listen and deliver for the customer, the 16 trainers I look after and all my young apprentices. Being able to communicate to each group on their level is a great skill to have.
I’m also a firm believer that you’re never too old to learn; each day I try and pick up something new that I can bring back and share with my staff. Working with In-Comm has also given me the opportunity to secure my mentoring qualifications, which are important when supporting apprentices both in and out of work.
What’s your biggest personal success at the company so far?
We have just heard that In-Comm Training has been recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, which is a fantastic achievement for everyone at the business. This covers leadership and management, teaching, personal development, outcome for learners and apprenticeships. It puts us among the best performing training providers in the country.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
There’s nothing better than seeing people develop and achieve, regardless of what level they are working towards. I’ve been very fortunate to see thousands of young people grow into excellent engineers – young men and women that are making a positive contribution to society.
Some even pop in to visit, and tell me about a £1m automation project they’re working on or how they’ve just been promoted to head of engineering. Those moments are very special.
Career ambition
To continue to develop the next generation of engineers and to make sure everyone thinks ‘In-Comm’ when looking to place apprentices.
