Building Business Skills in SMEs in Roads Construction & Maintenance Sector
Gordon Gullan - Change & operations management expert: Lead Tutor & SME Mentor
Michael Bailey - Executive management in construction expert
Colin Sutherland - Accounting & Finance expert
(on behalf of WSP International Management Consultants - prime contractor)
The overall project, funded by the EC's Centre for Development of Enterprise (CDE - Brussels), was aimed at developing the business skills of the owners/directors of 22 small enterprises in the roads construction and maintenence business, to help them better target, gain financing support through prepsration of professional business plans and thus win more government contracts with inproved project performance. A team of 3 Urwick members led four modules of the Training Programme, following which Gordon Gullan mentored each of 12 SMEs with greatest interest in inproving and developing their business supported by a relevant and effective business plan.
Urwick Group members, Gordon Gullan (as programme lead tutor) and Michael Bailey, and Urwick Associate, Colin Sutherland were appointed as tutors/facilitators for a programme of support to Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the roads construction & maintenance sector, to improve opportunities for gaining financing support and improved performance in tendering. Additional focus was given to improving project management methods and performance.
Each module was delivered with the support of a local expert as co-tutor.
The main activities included:
- Detailed design (based on a template used for other CDE country programmes) and delivery of four modules of a six-module programme, covering: "The Corporate Environment", "Financial Management Techniques", âOperational Managementâ and âBusiness Plan Developmentâ,
- A series of follow-up visits to the 12 SMEs that had demonstrated commitment to the development process (by Gordon Gullan with his local co-tutor and business consultant) in order to monitor current operational and business management and to mentor the owners/executives through the preparation of a relevant and effective business plan;
- Design and facilitation of a sector review Workshop to collect feedback on impact of training from the selected SMEs in programme, in conjunction with representatitives from the associated government agencies. sector bodies and engineering professional institutions/associations.
An important focus in the programme was to establish a âmind-set changeâ in management attitudes about developing and growing competently managed professional business organisations with support of proper business plans based on a clearly defined strategy.