TRAINING IS A CHANCE

Project Title: Employee Skills Development at Plastic
Registration number: CZ.1.04/1.1.02/35.01375
Subsidy amount: CZK 1,412,860.85
Implementation period: February 2011 to October 2012

This project was implemented together with the partner company PŘEROVSKÉ KOTLÁRNY VLČEK s.r.o. The project was financed from the resources of the European Social Fund through the Human Resources and Employment Operational Program and the state budget of the Czech Republic.

The management of PLASTICO spol. s.r.o. and PŘEROVSKÉ KOTLÁRNY VLČEK s.r.o. realizes the influence of employees on the company’s performance. The need for deepening, expanding and increasing the qualifications of employees is an important success factor. Although the company felt a decrease in orders in connection with the crisis, it was interested in keeping its employees. The goal of the project was also to prevent limiting the educational activities of employees, which would lead to a slowdown in the company’s competitiveness. The project was mainly focused on education, which helps employees to increase their performance within their profession. The educational activities also included general skills such as language learning and PC work, which cross professions and increase a person’s flexibility and employability in various positions.

The aim of the project was to increase the adaptability and qualification of employees. The key goal was also to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis in PLASTICO spol. s.r.o. and contribute to the sustainability of all jobs. The implementation of the project fulfilled another goal of the project, namely increasing the competitiveness of the company.

In February 2011, Truck Driver Training took place with 5 employees attending. Employees-drivers must complete this training every year.

In March 2011, the production employees completed the Basic Course in operating the terminals of the Helios information system. In the company PLASTICO spol. s.r.o. a unified information system was introduced, the goal of which was also the introduction of electronic records of all production operations. This training followed up on this implementation. Course participants learned how to use information system terminals to record and report work operations they perform.

Due to its scope, the Project Management training was spread over several months, took place in April, May, June and July 2011 and was attended by 1 female employee. The goal was to gain an overview of how to effectively use EU subsidy programs, learn to work with the various programs in which applications are submitted, learn to compile a project application, plan a project and manage the project. The acquired knowledge was used in the preparation of new applications in various EU programs and in the management of an already implemented project.

In October 2011, 2 of our employees successfully completed the basic course of steel welding ČSN 050705 – the course of welding non-alloyed and low-alloyed steel in a protective atmosphere. The course was divided into a theoretical and a practical part. Graduates received a certificate and a worker’s training card. By obtaining a certificate, the qualifications of employees have increased and thus their price on the labor market and the price for employers. The aim of the training was to increase the qualification of the worker and thereby make his work more efficient.

In the months of November and December 2011, legal training took place, namely the training of clerk drivers, crane operators, binders, VZV drivers and OSH training. Employees must complete all these trainings once a year. The main point of all these trainings was above all the safety of employees, both from the point of view of regular workers and from the point of view of special activities that employees perform according to their classification. A total of 40 people completed these trainings.

In January 2012, the accounting firm completed the course on Taxation of wages and salaries and annual accounts. As part of the training, the changes in the taxation of wages, the annual settlement of tax advances, and the forms of the Ministry of Finance issued for the needs of employers were discussed. 1 person attended the training.

At the end of January 2012, the Regular retraining of truck drivers took place again. 5 company drivers participated. The content of the training was road traffic rules, interpretation and application in practice, traffic regulations of other countries, theory of safe driving principles, influence of tires on driving safety, defensive approach to driving vehicles, taking over cargo, loading, securing and handing over, economics of road vehicle operation. The training contributes to ensuring the safety of not only cargo transportation, but also the safety of the drivers themselves during international transportation.

At the turn of February and March, 1 employee completed a basic steel welding course ČSN 050705 – a course on welding non-alloyed and low-alloyed steel in a protective atmosphere. The course was divided into a theoretical and a practical part. The graduate received a worker’s training certificate. By obtaining a certificate, the employee’s qualification has increased and thus his price on the labor market and the price for the employer. The aim of the training was to increase the qualification of the worker and thereby make his work more efficient.

A Beginning Payroll Accountant course for our payroll accountant was scheduled for March 2012. The course taught the payroll accountant to competently and independently maintain and process all records of wages, health and social insurance, including current changes. The goal of the course was a complete interpretation of the payroll including all current changes, deepening the accountant’s knowledge of the payroll, examples from practice were discussed in the course and questions were answered. The experience of other payroll accountants from other companies, which were presented as part of the discussion, was also beneficial.

In July 2012, 1 employee completed the Successful and Effective Secretary course, the aim of which was to improve verbal, non-verbal and written communication and social etiquette. Other goals were to learn how to set priorities, how to effectively plan and how to work with information in different time horizons, how to coordinate your working time with the working time of your superior, how to apply the principles of successful communication and apply the principles of problem solving and effective decision-making. The benefit was the development of the ability to communicate and get along with different types of people, the improvement of knowledge in the field of economics, business and personnel and thus the efficiency of the work of the company’s secretariat.

In July 2012, courses on general knowledge of working with a PC were implemented. The goal was to develop the knowledge and skills of workers in the field of computer technology and computer programs that they use in their work. The employees who took the courses had different levels of this knowledge, from beginners to advanced. The composition and content of the courses were also adapted to this. The training brought simplification, acceleration and efficiency of their daily work. The Powerpoint, Word I course, part of the PC Basics course and part of the Aurodesk Inventor basic course were implemented. The content of the Powerpoint course was to teach 3 participants the basics of creating presentations in this program. The participants were introduced to presentation methods and learned to work with images, text, objects, graphics and tables and modify the appearance of the presentation, use basic effects, prepare materials and present presentations. After completing the course, administrative staff can use their knowledge to create presentations of both the company’s activities and results. The Word I course contained the basics of working in this text editor, the content was to teach 5 employees to edit and format text, insert images, tables and graphs into the text, use Word functions that speed up and simplify work with text. The course was attended by construction workers who increasingly communicate with end customers, create and send price offers and similar documents. The course taught them how to write, format and print the common documents they use.

Additional computer skills courses were held in July, August and September 2012. The Basics of PC Operation course taught 3 employees to work independently with a personal computer. Graduates became familiar with basic terms in the field of computers, learned to navigate the MS Windows environment, create, edit and print documents, work with files and folders on the computer, search for documents on the computer, use USB flash drives, CDs and DVDs, got acquainted with programs that are part of MS Windows. The course also included the basics of the Word text editor and the Excel spreadsheet editor and the basics of Microsoft Outlook. The employees learned how to navigate the Windows environment without any problems, set up their desktop and all control panels according to their needs and thus speed up the activities performed in MS Windows.

The Word II course, which was attended by 3 employees, deepened the basic knowledge of the Word text editor, focused on the use of paragraph styles and automatic formatting, the use of templates, organizing a document with the help of an outline, creating indexes and contents, mass mailing, using footnotes and footnotes, use of bookmarks, subheadings and cross-references. The knowledge of the administrative staff of this text editor has been deepened in order to speed up and make their work more efficient. The text editor is used every day, and gaining more advanced knowledge has led to the simplification of working with it.

The Excel I course included the basics of working in this spreadsheet editor, the aim was to teach 5 course graduates basic operations, use of formulas, functions and graphs, basic formatting, printing from the spreadsheet editor, inserting objects, using automatic filters. The course was focused on the basics of the program and was attended by construction workers who use the spreadsheet editor for calculations and calculations of technical solutions, offers and orders.

Excel II. Expanded the basic knowledge of the Excel spreadsheet editor for 3 employees. He worked with lists, pivot tables, analytical tools, automatic formatting, linking sheets, workbooks and merging them, importing data and objects. Administrative workers who use the spreadsheet editor every day have improved their knowledge. As part of the course, “tailor-made” templates of constantly repeating files were also created, which led to speeding up the work of creating them.

Another course implemented was Working with the Internet. The content of the course was to repeat the basics of using the Internet and deepen them. The differences between browsers were explained to the participants, they learned how to browse the Internet, search for information using the Seznam and Google portals, download files from the Internet, work with communication clients such as Skype, and discussed the issue of safe work on the Internet and preventing potential problems. The course was completed by 3 employees, and it primarily resulted in the simplification of Internet searches, which administrative workers use every day. The course demonstrated several methods to make working on the Internet more efficient and prevent security risks and problems.

The goal of the Autodesk Inventor basic course was to teach 2 employees to use the most common engineering 3D modeler. The training was intended for new users who are starting to work with the Autodesk Inventor program – during the training, they understood the principles of parametric modeling of components and assemblies and became familiar with the user environment of the Inventor program. Designers learned to establish and manage new projects, create and modify individual components and work with them in simple and more advanced assemblies, create sheet metal components and their developments, and create complete drawing documentation including views and sections, details, positions, bill of materials and schedules.

Autodesk Inventor – sheet metal parts was intended for listeners who already use the Autodesk Inventor program and was focused on creating sheet metal parts, taught how to create, modify and use sheet metal templates, the participant could try all the necessary procedures on practical examples. The course was intended for 1 construction worker who already uses the Autodesk Inventor program and brought improvement of work in it, not only by modifying the program environment, but also by creating the templates used.

The advanced Autocad course was completed by 3 designers who are already advanced users of this program. They learned about the advanced settings of the program and learned about publishing drawings in DWF, PDF format and exporting them. These employees use a program to draw drawing documentation. The lecturer also helped them set up the program environment and explained the advanced features of the program that they can implement in their daily work.

In September 2012, a three-day course The role of the foreman in the production team was implemented, which was attended by 2 employees. The course discussed the role of the master, his responsibility, the master’s personality, rules of communication with subordinates and superiors, rules of team cooperation, solving problems in the team, solving problems with subordinates, principles of team management, control and evaluation of work, styles of team management, delegation, support and motivation team. The production manager and foreman learned to organize their work, accept the responsibility of the foreman, solve problems at the workplace, optimize relations with management, communicate effectively with superiors and subordinates.

In the months of September and October 2012, language courses took place, namely German and English language courses. A total of 9 people were trained. Since 90% of our customers are from German-speaking countries, communication in the German language is the order of the day, and it is not only management, but also designers, foremen and administrative staff. Recently, the number of customers contacting the company in English has also increased. The aim was therefore to teach employees to respond to customer requirements in such a way that they would be able to solve problems with them not only in the area of professional technical specifications of orders, but also in normal communication and to teach employees to respond to the requirements of potential new customers in English.

The German language course was designed for beginners and intermediates. The course was attended by designers and administrative staff who communicate with clients from German-speaking countries. The content of the course was adjusted according to the needs of the given profession, so it focused not only on ordinary material but also on professional terminology related to the activities of an engineering company. The total scope of the course was 48 hours. Designers, who increasingly use German in communication with customers when specifying the technical solution of orders, and administrative workers who have to respond to common customer requests have graduated from the German language.

The English language was also intended for beginners and intermediates. The content of the course was also adjusted according to the needs of the participating workers, so professional terminology was also discussed. The total duration of the course was 48 hours and 3 employees participated. The English language was completed by the management and sales department of the company, which processes the requests of potential customers and must therefore be able to respond promptly to the demands and requests of English-speaking customers.

At the turn of September and October 2012, 2 employees completed a welding course, namely Basic welding course ČSN 050705 – welding course of unalloyed and low-alloy steel in a protective atmosphere – designation ZK 135 W01 and Basic welding course ČSN 050705 – course of welding aluminum and its alloys in a protective atmosphere atmosphere – designation ZL 131 W22. The content of the course was materials science, welding technology, welding of various types of welds, deformations, stresses and defects in welds. The courses were divided into a theoretical and a practical part. It contributed to the improvement of the workers’ welds and, thanks to the information about weld defects, also to the improvement of their work and the prevention of possible complaints. Graduates received a certificate and a worker’s training card. By obtaining a certificate, the qualifications of workers have increased, so they can perform more professional and complex work.

In October 2012, a six-day Purchasing Professional course was held, attended by the purchasing manager. The course introduced purchasing as a part of corporate logistics, dealt with purchasing strategies, optimization of purchases, purchasing goals, purchasing marketing, inventory management and purchasing processes and their progress were also discussed, the topic of purchasing and law and customs administration including delivery conditions in international trade were marginally presented . As part of the course, the purchasing manager learned to determine the role and position of purchasing in the company, determine purchasing needs in terms of quantity, quality, price and delivery time, improve the search for the most suitable supplier, and master the techniques of effective purchasing negotiations. Since the cost of material purchase is in the first place, it can be assumed that these costs can be reduced by more effective procurement negotiations and optimization of purchasing processes and inventory management.

In October 2012, additional courses from the Soft Skills and Economic Education module were also held. These were the Taxation of wages and salaries, Pension insurance and pension insurance record sheets, the Labor Code and Internal Company Guidelines. A total of 10 people were trained. The goal was to maintain the qualifications of employees in areas such as accounting, payroll, HR, pension, social and health insurance, in which changes occur every year, and thus improve the skills of technical and economic workers, increase their performance, strengthen their independence and expand their competences.

As part of the Training on Taxation of Wages and Salaries, the changes in the taxation of wages, the annual settlement of tax advances, and the forms of the Ministry of Finance issued for the needs of employers were discussed. A payroll accountant was trained, who, after completing the training, can better navigate the changes in taxation of wages and salaries and the annual settlement of wages valid from the beginning of 2012.

The training Pension insurance and pension insurance record sheets clarified the issue of pension insurance, in particular the range of insured persons, the period of insurance, types of pensions, changes in the conditions of entitlement. 2 employees attended. The course provided a better orientation in the field of personal pension insurance. Experience in solving problems and non-standard situations in this area was also a benefit.

The aim of the Labor Code course was to acquaint 2 employees with the changes in the Labor Code and their impact on the company’s activities. The course discussed the basic areas of the Labor Code and the employer’s obligations arising from this law, but was also focused on concrete examples and problems of employers from practice. The course shed light on both the employer’s basic obligations in this area and some specific problems.

The Internal Company Guidelines course dealt with the creation of internal company guidelines according to regulations and practical knowledge and showed their impact on internal company processes. Given that internal company guidelines mainly concern accounting, payroll and HR, not only an accountant but also an economist took part in the course. They learned what types of guidelines a company should have and what their impact is on the company’s processes. Based on the course, the system of already existing guidelines was updated according to the applicable legislation and the missing guidelines were added.

In October 2012, statutory training was also carried out, namely Regular training of clerk drivers, Training of VZV drivers, Training of crane operators, Training of binders and Training of health and safety. Employees must complete all these trainings once a year. The main point of all trainings was the safety of employees at work, both from the point of view of ordinary workers (OHS) and from the point of view of special activities that employees perform according to their classification (binders, crane operators, VZV drivers).

Zaměstnanci partnerské firmy se zapojili do profesního vzdělávání v oblasti programování CNC strojů a získané dovednosti budou vzájemně konzultovat se zaměstnanci naší firmy, kteří budou vzděláváni ve stejné oblasti, ale v prostředí jiného CAD programu. Tento pilotní krok povede ke spolupráci obou firem v oblasti konstrukce a podpoří efektivnost rozvoje obou firem i zaměstnanců v oblasti konstrukce. Školení „Programování CNC strojů“ se uskutečnilo v září 2011 a úspěšně ho absolvovali 4 zaměstnanci partnerské firmy.