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Shaping the Valve Industry’s Future

The British Valve & Actuator Association (BVAA) is coming to the end of the second year of its innovative Future Leaders Program. “It is quite possibly the most rewarding activity of my career.” said BVAA’s Director & CEO, Rob Bartlett. “The program has had an amazing effect on all those involved in it.
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What is the BVAA Future Leaders Program? (FLP)

In 2016, BVAA launched a new program specially designed to develop a small group of future leaders for the industry.

Eleven individuals were identified by their employers as having the right qualities and potential to become leaders within their own organisations. The first cohort of 11 delegates was put through a range of exercises and activities designed to help them fast track their experiences within the industry and ramp up their personal skills and knowledge. They did this without having to change employers, which in former times many valve professionals had to do to advance. Such moves are of course very disruptive for the employers, and involves a significant element of risk for the employee.

Company Knowledge-Transfer Days

Personal Development Days

In addition to the dozen or so company days, BVAA provides the group with a series of personal development courses to help round the individuals. Because of the positive feedback from the first cohort, the breadth and depth of this element has been substantially increased for the 2017 intake. It now includes TQ psychometric testing and Attributes Wheel assessments, helping generate a composite team profile – particularly important as the group works so closely together over the year.

Guest lecturer and personal development consultant, Dr. Martin Haigh, commented, “It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege creating and delivering the learning and development interventions for the FLP. I have witnessed some amazing breakthroughs from cohort 1 and was impressed by their confident and seamless presentation at the BVAA annual general meeting.” He noted that the second group of leaders are also applying the PD principles in the workplace and making things happen.

BVAA Networking & Technical Training

Experience Days

Another feature is the experience days organised by BVAA at the request of the cohorts to suit their learning needs. For example, cohort 1 visited a valve casting facility to witness first-hand a valve pour, something many in the industry have waited a lifetime to see. The group also spent a day touring the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at Sheffield, UK, which included AMRC Castings, Nuclear AMRC, AMRC Design Centre, The Welding Institute, AMRC Training Centre and the inspiring AMRC ‘Factory 2050.’

Beyond FLP

Barlett continued, “We are also encouraging the groups to stay connected – not just through the BVAA committee structure which several have joined and now actively participate in - but also through reunions, additional training and an alumni social networking strand. I’m sure it is a concept that could easily be repeated across industry.”

Father of the project, and newly elected BVAA Chairman Colin Findlay (Severn Unival) has the last word. “I think it is clear we are sowing the seeds of our industry’s continued success with the FLP, but many of the individuals are already enjoying significant personal career advancement. We must thank our members for giving up a lot of time and energy to the visits and in rolling out their top guns to support us. It really is what we hoped for and appreciate on these very useful days.”

The BVAA program has become so popular, the association already has a waiting list for 2018’s Cohort 3.

Headline photo is Cohort 1 with former BVAA Chairman David Millar 

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