Background
Beal Homes were looking for a way to understand if there were any knowledge gaps, offer appropriate training options and manage professional development across their team.
What is Knowledge Explorer?
Knowledge Explorer is an easily accessible online knowledge and skills assessment package created specifically for the home-building sector.
It contains a bank of 60 questions based on NHBC Standards and essential Building Regulations that enables users to recognise any knowledge gaps and learning opportunities within their organisation. This also allows users to identify suitable training courses to help to bridge those gaps effectively.
Harry explained “We started using Knowledge Explorer just under a year ago and plan to repeat the assessment every couple of years to inform our ongoing training priorities. The ability to compare results across the team gives us a structured way to build on our existing technical knowledge and identify where further development would add the most value. It helps us take a more focussed approach to continuing professional development – it’s been particularly useful for new or developing team members.”
The right training at the right time
Training needs for technical staff can vary widely. It can be easy for areas to be missed or for individuals to repeat training that they do not need, potentially costing an organisation both time and money. This is why Knowledge Explorer’s training recommendations are tailored to individuals, focussing on those areas that will have the biggest impact for both new and existing team members.
Additionally, at a time when technical staff involved in the house-building industry increasingly need to be able to demonstrate their competency in multiple areas, it has never been more important to be able to accurately identify learning and development needs.
Harry told us “We now have a clearer picture of where we need to invest in training, both for individuals and for the team as a whole. The results help us distinguish between subjects that would benefit from a shared refresher and those better suited to individual development, making the time we set aside for training more targeted.”
He added “A clear benefit for us was the value of targeted refreshers where standards and regulations had been updated. In a changing technical environment, Knowledge Explorer helps us focus on the areas where keeping knowledge current will be most useful to the team.”
Supporting home builders with Knowledge Explorer
Knowledge Explorer can be used for technical or site-based individuals, including new starters, teams or whole departments making it a benefit suitable for the entire organisation. In fact the tool can assess the knowledge gaps and learning needs of up to 200 people at a time, providing actionable, individualised technical training recommendations.
We asked Harry if he would recommend investing in NHBC’s Knowledge Explorer, he said “Yes, I would recommend it, particularly to organisations looking to take a more structured approach to technical development. For us, the value is in building on the expertise already within the team and helping us make informed decisions about where to invest time in the future.”
