Annual Review 2005/06 - People
The PLA recognises that its most important asset is its staff and becaure of this we are committed to the ongoing training and development of all our employees.
Training & Development
The development process starts with an intensive induction process on an employee’s first day, followed by a rigorous first few months getting to grips with their new job – which may itself have immediate training requirements.
Our pilots have their own professional development programme and every other PLA employee receives an annual Personal Development Plan, detailing individual training and development requirements, which then are taken forward within the departmental training plans.
Training is delivered either in-house by using the PLA’s own expertise, by drafting in specialist trainers or, alternatively, sending employees to external training courses. The PLA also funds and allows time off for longterm academic studies at colleges and universities; this allows staff to gain professional membership and standing within their chosen discipline, while the PLA’s stakeholders benefit from the enhanced inhouse expertise.
Whilst some departments have their own inhouse training requirements specific to the job, the PLA also has a number of courses that are mandatory for some or all employees, such as fire awareness, first aid or sea survival.
Home-grown Engineer
In 2005, three PLA employees achieved chartered status within their particular specialisations. Garry Shaw, Navigation Systems Engineer, became our first apprenticed and “home-grown” Chartered Engineer. First employed in a pilot engineering apprenticeship scheme, then gaining two HNCs along the way, after another four year part-time course, he obtained his First Class degree in electrical and electronic engineering at the University of East London in 2002.
After the lengthy process within the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Engineering Council to become a chartered engineer, he received notification of his acceptance.
The PLA also has two Chartered Environmentalists – Nicki Clay, Environmental Scientist, and Michael Costaras, River Engineer achieved their awards by the Society for the Environment during the year.
We congratulate them, and all others who have enhanced their skills and qualifications, on their achievements.
Team Work
The PLA entered its biggest team ever for the 2005 Tower Jog and picked up three awards.
Twenty-five PLA employees took part in the 10-kilometre race, raising £6,238 for the British Heart Foundation.
For the second year running the team won the Mitsui OSK Lines Cup for the largest sum raised by a team associated with the shipping industry. We also retained the Raven Trophy for a small company fielding the largest team, and won a runner-up award in the category for companies raising the largest amounts overall for the charity.
A PLA crew once again entered the barge ‘Blackwall’, painted in Trafalgar mode, in the annual TOW barge race in July – Blackwall finished a very close second overall and collected the Bill Lindley Trophy for coming first in class.
