Company Profile

Founded in 1952, The Lotus Group is a global car manufacturing company producing top-quality, hand-built sports cars.

The Skills Challenge

The Lotus manufacturing process is not automated – all Lotus products are hand-built. Its 400 manufacturing staff must be skilled, competent and able to work well as a team. Having won the

World Class Manufacturing Award in 2005, Lotus was determined to maintain its position at the forefront of manufacturing. The company decided to put a major effort into increasing the skills of its manufacturing staff.

Lotus wanted a specialist training programme tailored to its employers, but couldn’t find a college able to provide such a service.

How Train to Gain Helped

Train to Gain worked with Lotus, the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing (NASM) and City College, Norwich. Together, they found a way to support the company’s training requirements. Lotus employees can now work towards a NVQ Level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs) or Level 3 (equivalent to two A Levels) in Business Improvement Techniques. The courses cover safety, effective team-working, problem-solving and much more. Training helps employees develop a better understanding of their roles within manufacturing, and helps them improve quality and performance.

City College, Norwich helped create an assessment scheme for the NVQs that met national standards. Employees gaining their first Level 2 qualification from the NVQs were eligible for Train to Gain funding, which gave the training scheme a chance to get off the ground.

A Lotus team of trainers, approved by NASM, delivers the training in-house at Lotus. The programme is monitored by NASM and City College.

Business benefits of the training

By creating new training relationships, Lotus has equipped itself for long-term business success.

• Improved quality and performance – the training has enabled staff to use their initiative to improve the efficiency and quality of the manufacturing process.
• Increased staff motivation – staff are delighted both to learn new skills and to gain formal recognition for skills learned on the job.
• Skills leadership – Lotus is gaining recognition in the manufacturing industry for its innovative training system, and sets an example that others are keen to follow.