6-monthly WOF's to be Scrapped?

So the Govt is looking at changing the rules around Warrant of Fitnesses (read the article).

What do you think about this?  Should we be more in line with Australia's rules?  What other legislation would you like to see changed?

Macquarie Training - Supporting Business Excellence Since 2000

Make 2012 the year to boost your career prospects and gain the recognition you deserve!

  Certificate in Business (First Line Management) Level 3

  Certificate in Business (First Line Management) Level 4

  Diploma in Business Level 5

Achieve a nationally recognised, NZQA approved Business qualification in the workplace! No downtime, no textbooks, no lectures, no exams!  Qualifications are employer funded and yours to keep for life.

In-work qualifications are achieved by providing evidence of your competency in completing everyday tasks.  Your exact framework will be determined when you fill out a ‘Skills Analysis’ that identifies your strengths and your current areas of work.

Your assessor will visit you on a regular basis in your own workplace to help you complete your assessments and collate the information you need.  You can also contact them for assistance via phone or email at any time.

All it takes is 1 - 2 hours per week for 6 - 12 months for Certificates, and 12 - 24 months for Diplomas, depending on your workload.

Update your existing skills while researching quality improvements and identifying more efficient ways of completing tasks.  Increase your value to your company and open up pathways for career advancement!

Define your skills in:

    Management                              

    Human Resources

    Operations

    People Development

    Finance

    Planning

    Time Management

    Workplace Relationships

    Quality Management

    Systems and Resources

Pricing:

$2,500 - $4,500 for Certificates

$3,500 - $5,500 for Diplomas

*Price indicative only.  Fees vary depending on your location, the number of credits required for your individual framework and any credits that you have already achieved.   Your FITEC subsidy can cover up to $1,800 of the programme cost.

The next step:

Contact Macquarie Training at admin@mtrain.co.nz or  on 07 542 0857 for more information or to request a Skills Analysis.

Visit the Macquarie Training website: www.mtrain.co.nz. 

What motivates you?

The surprising truth about what motivates people!  What do you think?

Visit Macquarie Training.

Assessing, Designing & Moderating Assessments

Your staff need to learn from the best. Receive best practice training in Workplace Assessment, Design and Moderation and ensure your assessors, designers and moderators meet the national standards.


WORKPLACE ASSESSOR TRAINING

Assessment of skills and competency is an essential part of training. If you are going to be involved in assessing knowledge and skills following training or ensuring your workforce is up to date with the latest practices and procedures, this course will give you the tools to carry out assessment in a credible way.

DESIGN & MODERATE TRAINING

11552 Design Assessment and 11551 Moderation of Assessment delivered over two days of training covers the two aspects of assessment that go hand in hand. Even if you don't plan to be a moderator, this topic enhances your understanding of assessment design and moderators requirements. 

If you are interested in either of these courses, please contact Macquarie Training to enquire about dates and locations on 07 542 0857, or by emailing admin@mtrain.co.nz. 

Autumn 2012 Newsletter

Would you like to catch up on what has been happening at Macquarie Training lately?  Feel free to view our newsletter - it's full of interesting stuff, and a good read!

Elevated Working Platforms (EWP)

Late last year the opportunity arose for us to deliver training for Electricity Industry workers using elevated working platforms.  We have done this in the past as part of the Transpower Worksite Safety and Substation Maintainer courses, and have now created a course for the wider industry. Currently training is underway for Electrix staff working on the Vector Network.

As with any area that is safety related (and most of what we do around electricity is), there is a focus on getting the right knowledge and skills in place so that competency can be measured in a credible way. It’s up to employers to award competency and there needs to be a process that can stand up to scrutiny. That’s where we can assist with approved courses that comply with the Department of Labour (DoL), industry standards and guidance. Our course comes with assessment to unit standard 18272 ‘Operate power – operated elevating work platforms (EWP) in an electricity supply environment’.

If you are interested in this or any other technical training, please contact Phil on 027 575 2282 or phil@mtrain.co.nz.

Photo: Ian Mair, Macquarie Training Technical Trainer.

Ever wondered what was happening...

...on this day in history?  Specifically, in New Zealand history?  This is a nifty site where you can not only see what was happening on any given day, but you'll also learn a lot about the history of our country!

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/troops-used-on-ports-as-waterside-dispute-worsens

Behavioural Safety - Human Behaviour

Human behaviour has a direct influence on safety in many aspects of life - at work, in the home, on the road, in the air and at sea.  What is meant then, by behaviour?

Behaviour is defined as:

• How a person conducts themselves
• The demeanour and manners of an individual
• An observable action of a person

The causes of human behaviour are associated with attitude, personality, motivation and memory, together with those pyhsical and mental characteristics which constitute a person and his environment.

Protecting ourselves and others from harm is second nature to most people.  Let’s face it, we don’t intentionally plan to have an accident, the question is how do we plan and behave so we don’t have them?  Individuals and organisations have a lot of responsibility from legislative compliance to company, individual and team performance requirements. The bottom line is how people choose to behave, what they choose to do or not do is what makes the difference.

Every organisation in today’s business environment wants and expects safe working practices.  This course will explore some of the core beliefs, values and habits that promote a safe workplace.

Interested?  Want to know more about holding a Behavioural Workplace Health & Safety course in your workplace?  Please contact us today.


Source: Macquarie Training and 'Human Factors and Behavioural Safety', Jeremy Shanks.

How are qualifications achieved in the workplace?

Are you already in a Business Administration - Project Management - Management role, and have loads of skills and many years of experience, but don't hold a formal qualification?  Would you like to get qualified but don't want to have to take time off work, or spend your nights and weekends studying?

Macquarie Training has the perfect solution for you.  Our workplace based qualifications seek to draw out the knowledge you already hold, rather than make you learn things you don't need to know.  You will complete assessments not by studying, but by providing evidence of your current competency.

To find out what that all means, please contact us for more information.

Waitangi Day

Hope everyone had a great Waitangi weekend!  Do you know the history behind Waitangi Day?  It is quite a controversial time in the history of New Zealand.  Click here to find out more...

MT Summer Newsletter

Have you read our summer newsletter?  If not, catch up on our happenings here.  Enjoy!

Becoming a Workplace Assessor

Are you a subject knowledge expert in your field?  Do you want to help people in your industry achieve qualifications?

Becoming a Workplace Assessor is easier than you think.  We offer two modes of completing training with us, either on-course several times a year, or via distance learning.  In both cases, you work through our comprehensive training material and complete two assessments with candidates within your industry, under the watchful eye of a qualified observer.  We can assist you with obtaining assessments, candidates and observers.

On completion of your assessment you will be awarded unit standards 4098 and 11281 which qualify you as a Workplace Assessor.

For more information click here.

Inspiration Corner...

Busy as a bee - the buzz of improved performance…

Once upon a time, there were two beekeepers who worked for a company called Bees, Inc. Demand for their honey was steadily increasing and as a result, each beekeeper was told to produce more honey at the same quality.

Approach 1: Measure activities

The first beekeeper established a bee performance management approach that measured how many flowers each bee visited. The beekeeper provided feedback to each bee at midseason on his individual performance, but the bees were never told about the hive's goal to produce more honey so that the company could increase honey sales. The beekeeper created special awards for the bees who visited the most flowers.

Approach 2: Measure accomplishments

The second beekeeper communicated to each bee the goal of the hive to produce more honey. The beekeeper and his bees measured:

1. The amount of nectar each bee brought back to the hive
2. The amount of honey the hive produced.

At the end of the season, the beekeepers evaluated their approaches…

Approach 1: Results DECREASED

The first beekeeper found that his hive had increased the number of flowers visited, but the amount of honey produced by the hive had dropped. The Queen Bee reported that because the bees were so busy trying to visit as many flowers as possible, they limited the amount of nectar they would carry so they could fly faster. Also, because the bees felt they were competing against each other for awards (only the top performers were recognised) they would not share valuable information with each other that could have helped improve the performance of all the bees, like the location of the flower-filled fields they'd spotted on the way back to the hive. After all was said and done, one of the high-performing bees told the beekeeper that if he'd been told that the real goal was to make more honey, he would have done his work completely differently. As the beekeeper handed out the awards to individual bees, unhappy buzzing was heard in the background.

Approach 2: Results INCREASED

The second beekeeper had very different results. Because each bee was focused on the hive's goal of producing more honey, the bees had concentrated their efforts on gathering more nectar in order to produce more honey than ever before. The bees worked together to determine the highest nectar-yielding flowers and to create quicker processes for depositing the nectar they'd gathered. They also worked together to help increase the amount of nectar gathered by the poor performers. The Queen Bee of this hive reported that the poor performers either improved their performance or transferred to another hive. Because the hive had reached its goal, the beekeeper awarded each bee his portion of the hive incentive payment. The beekeeper was also surprised to hear a loud, happy buzz and a jubilant flapping of wings as he rewarded the individual high-performing bees with special recognition.

The moral of this story is…

Measuring and recognising accomplishments rather than activities - and giving feedback to the worker bees - often improves the results of the hive. Although it somewhat simplifies performance management, the beekeepers' story illustrates the importance of measuring and recognising accomplishments (the amount of honey produced per hive) rather than activities (visiting flowers).

Source: Workforce Performance, August 1997 US Office of Personnel Management

If you would like to know about our training workshops that cover more management techniques, please call us on 07 542 0857 or email phil@mtrain.co.nz.

Coached Workplace Development

Achieve a nationally recognised, NZQA approved Business Administration qualification in the workplace!  No downtime, no textbooks, no lectures, no exams!  Qualifications are employer funded and attract ITO subsidies.

In-work qualifications are achieved by providing evidence of your competency in completing everyday tasks.  Your exact framework will be determined when you fill out a ‘Skills Analysis’ that identifies your strengths and your current areas of work.

Your assessor will visit you on a regular basis in your own workplace to help you complete your assessments and collate the information you need.  You can also contact them for assistance via phone or email at any time.

All it takes is 1 - 2 hours per week for 6 - 12 months for Certificates, and 12 - 24 months for Diplomas, depending on your workload.

Update your existing skills while researching quality improvements and identifying more efficient ways of completing tasks.  Increase your value to your company and open up pathways for career advancement!

Click here for more information.

NZQA Level Descriptors

Ever wondered what your qualification 'Level' means?  What is a Level 2 qualification?  Is that higher than a Level 4 or is a Level 5 the highest of them all?  Click here for a detailed explanation of where your qualification fits into the NQF.  Want to achieve the next Level up?  Contact us today!

Macquarie Training Website

The Macquarie Training website, www.mtrain.co.nz, holds a wealth of information for anyone interested in training or gaining a qualification.  From Managers to Administrators to would-be Workplace Assessors - we have something for everyone!

Happy Friday the 13th!

What is it about Friday the 13th that keeps cars in garages and eyes shielded from black cats?!  While we can all assume the hype is simply unfounded superstition, check out these freaky facts...

- The fear of Friday is skeviphobia, the fear of the number 13 is triskaidekaphobia, and the fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia (aka friggatriskaidekaphobia).

- Apollo 13, which barely escaped becoming a doomed flight, was launched on 13:13 CST, April 11,1970, with the explosion that disabled the craft occurring on April 13 (a Monday).

- Oklahoma bandit Crawford "Cherokee Bill" Goldsby murdered 13 victims, and was captured with a reward of $1300. At his trial, 13 eyewitnesses testified against him, the jury took 13 hours to render a verdict of guilty, and he was hanged on April 13, 1896 on a gallows with 13 steps!

- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would never host a dinner party with 13 guests in attendance and refused to travel on the 13th day of any month!

- The majority of skyscrapers in America do not have a 13th floor, while some hospitals avoid rooms numbered 13, and a few airline terminals bypass gates numbered 13!

- Every calendar year has at least one Friday the 13th. The most Friday the 13th's that can occur in any given calendar year is three, such as in 2012 (January, April and July)!


Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-franklin-ruehl-phd/friday-the-13th-facts_b_1198259.html

Welcome to the Macquarie Training blog!

Welcome to the brand new Macquarie Training blog!  The purpose of this blog is to keep you up to date with all of our happenings, as well as industry news and articles we think you will enjoy.

Check back regularly for updates or subscribe to our feed!