Training Policy

TGA Consulting Engineers place a very high importance upon our staff. As a "consultant", we recognise that our "product" is essentially the result of our individual staff members abilities allied to the culture and systems of the Practice. We believe that our aims and ambitions can only be met with the support, belief and involvement of our staff and therefore strive to promote teamwork and open and honest communication. We encourage our staff to follow these principles and actively participate in achieving our aims.

We recognise the importance of individuals and their specific skills, and the need to develop them to ensure they contribute to our success. We aim to provide our staff with a technically, professionally and financially secure environment in which they are encouraged to grow professionally and personally and to create a working environment which they will find both stimulating and motivating.

As a result it is our policy that:

• All Equity Partners are Chartered Engineers

• A high proportion of our staff are degree qualified

• Associates and Senior Engineers are encouraged to attain Chartered Engineer status and are assisted in this goal

• Appointments to higher levels within the Practice (Senior Engineer and Associate) are usually made only from within. This allows us to thoroughly know such important people within our organisation and also encourages those in more junior posts, allowing them a means of career progression

• We have established links with local Universities and Colleges who run Building Services related BTech, HNC, HND and Degree Courses. We routinely recruit staff without such qualifications and then, through day release schemes and support by paying fees etc, we encourage them to develop into engineering grades. We currently have a number of senior staff (Associates) who originally joined the Practice in very junior positions and developed in this way.

• Staff have access to external training that they feel may be beneficial to their personal development. This is identified and agreed via our annual appraisal system, including:

  • Specific Technical Courses
  • Foundation Degree Courses
  • Bachelor Degree Courses
  • Masters Degree Courses

• We recognise that the development of our staff is in the interest of the Practice as well as the individuals themselves. Staff attending University Courses are thus allowed to do so in paid time and further allowances are made at examination times.

• Junior members of staff are provided with a Personal Development Plan to cover their early years with the Practice.

• We consider carefully the training needs of our staff and actively promote and encourage Continued Professional Development in association with a number of professional institutes including the IEE / IET and CIBSE.

• All staff who may visit construction sites are required to attain and maintain a yellow “Visitors” CSCS card. Staff are further encouraged to progress to hold a "Professionals" CSCS Card.

• We periodically run internal training courses, using externally sourced tutors, to assist with management, communications, literacy skills etc.

• We routinely support seminars, held in our offices, with a view to assisting engineering staff meet their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) commitments imposed by their professional institutions.

• TGA have been awarded Investors in People status.

The following table summarises the significant "trainee positions" and courses supported by the Practice in our Durham Office over the last three years: