Interview with Andrew Harrison, Head of Quality at Lendlease: How TeleTraining Supports Excellence at Lendlease

As a best-practice case study, we are sharing an interview with Andrew Harrison, Head of Quality at Lendlease. In this interview, Andrew highlights how Lendlease has effectively adopted TeleTraining’s technical training modules, the impact on productivity and quality, and the lessons learned in embedding online training as a core part of their people development strategy.

FUll VIDEO: https://youtu.be/LFFaCF4sZsU

What led you to adopt TeleTraining’s online technical training program for Lendlease?

The reason why we chose TeleTraining for our training modules was mainly due to the fact that we’ve worked with TeleTraining for a number of years. There’s a fair amount of history that we’ve had with them and what they’ve offered over the years through webinars and seminars. However, with the online training, we saw that their ability to tailor some of the modules to suit Lendlease requirements was certainly a draw. Another pivotal factor was the complex detail within the modules, which reinforced our decision to go with them. The detail is paramount and is certainly top notch when we look at the offering from TeleTraining, so it’s good in that sense.

Equally important is the ability for our people to undertake the modules at their leisure and in their own time as required, or even at work, since we at Lendlease enable them to do the modules during working hours as well. The ready access to the online content at any time, both to complete the modules and to use as a reference point, was also key.

Which roles have been the focus of the training and what made you select those particular roles?

Within Lendlease, the roles that we allocate the training modules to range from graduate engineers right through to senior project engineers, and in some cases project managers as well. The focus is really around risk and the packages individuals are working on, and through our training needs analysis we review who should undertake what training to suit the packages or roles that they are undertaking. Predominantly, it is construction management down that we look to for people to complete these modules.

Some leaders in the construction industry express concern about the effectiveness of online training. How do you see it?

Online training is effective for a number of reasons. First, it increases productivity and efficiency for us as an organisation. It also gives us the ability to measure the effectiveness of the training, both through the performance of individuals and through how regularly they access the online content. While there are many opinions out there about what is more effective—face-to-face training, online training, or online webinars—we found that the face-to-face and webinar sessions suffered from low participation and engagement. With online modules, if we require our individuals to log in and undertake the training, there is inherent participation from them. They are actively seeking the learning, they are participating more, and they can’t avoid completing the modules. The inclusion of assessments allows us to measure both participation and, to a degree, understanding. By and large, the ability to assign, monitor, and gain benefits from online training is why we will continue down this path. We do recognise that certain modules suit particular individuals, but overall, this is the best way forward.

Have you observed tangible outcomes from the training program? 

In terms of tangible benefits, we want to see far fewer defects and issues resulting from the way we undertake our works and deliver packages or projects. We feel there is a clear gain in understanding and awareness of the subject matter that the TeleTraining modules offer, and we are seeing a trend toward fewer issues or defects on our projects. This highlights a greater awareness among our people. By monitoring participation, we are reaching a wider audience across our business throughout Australia, and equally, we have the ability to offer this approach to our offshore regions as well, which drives consistency in our methods.

What role does HR play in ensuring the success of an online technical training program? 

From a people management perspective, it is absolutely key that line managers take ownership of understanding where skills need to be enhanced for their teams. Equally, we place responsibility on individuals themselves to understand where their gaps in construction knowledge may be and to seek the necessary training. From a human resources point of view, they do play a strategic role in ensuring we have competent individuals entering the industry, and here at Lendlease, that is a prerequisite. At the same time, we want to make sure we are offering the best level of tuition, technical guidance, and support to our people—not only to meet Australian standards and requirements, but also to ensure Lendlease’s own stringent requirements are understood by all personnel. This is where the TeleTraining modules, which we’ve embedded into our technical training offering, have been particularly valuable, as they have incorporated some of our Lendlease-specific nuances and requirements into the training. This is a clear benefit to anyone working within Lendlease.

Any advice for others looking to implement it effectively?

To implement this effectively, any organisation needs to develop a stringent training needs analysis where ownership and the enhancement of people’s capabilities are understood by line managers. They must be true managers. I am particularly conscious of managers taking on a title but not being able to truly manage. Anyone with the title of “manager” must understand that this role includes managing people, not just a package of works or a project. We need to understand the capabilities of our individuals and recognise where they need assistance, guidance, and further tuition to enhance their technical knowledge.

If there is one piece of advice I would give, it is that our managers need to be proper people managers, recognising capabilities and helping individuals progress.