As skills shortages threaten growth for nearly 65 per cent of UK businesses, Europa Worldwide Group is stepping up - putting investment in people at the heart of its strategy.
In 2023, Europa announced a multi-year focus on bespoke Management Training aimed at creating a more empowered workforce. This is a strategic shift toward long-term team development with a comprehensive 12-month Management Training Programme designed to enhance leadership capability across its expanding operation and delivered by its inhouse Training & Development Team.
The Programme provides structured, high-impact training and, so far, 170 senior managers from 16 UK sites have completed the bespoke course, with a second cohort of 60 currently enrolled in the 11-module programme. The course covers modern management practices and provides practical tools for dealing with real workplace challenges. It is delivered through a creative blend of classroom sessions, remote workshops, and eLearning.
The most recent cohort to have completed the Management Training Programme are the team leaders and supervisors at its Dartford transit hub – the largest European Groupage Hub in the UK - who keep its European groupage operation working seamlessly.
The purpose-built transit hub in Dartford provides daily groupage services between the UK and the EU. The £30m state-of-the-art depot is located close to the Dartford Crossing and is where customer goods are consolidated and transported to their final destinations in the UK, Ireland and the EU. Its transit team of 82 is the backbone of these European road freight operations, handling a record 40,000 consignments per month as they pass seamlessly through the 26,368 sq. m transit terminal.
The transit hub’s senior team of 16 recently completed the Management Training Programme. Its graduates include Team Leaders of Shift B Dean Harkins and Shift A Edvinas Gricius. Both Dean and Edvinas highlight specific skills gained during the training that are directly contributing to improvements within the hub.
Dean, who has been with Europa for 10 years, comments, “With my team, our role is very time-critical, consignments must be offloaded quickly and efficiently to ensure onward distribution to customers. Therefore, effective teamwork and good communication is essential.
“The skills I have learnt from the Management Training are being applied directly to my daily job, ensuring my team understands the value and the importance of their role in the company’s success.”
Edvinas adds, “I joined Europa as a forklift driver and, having stepped into a leadership role, the management training has been vital. The skills help me manage the team of 16 much more effectively, and it’s the best training I’ve ever had in directly helping me in this role.”
Europa’s Management Programme was designed to help managers develop essential skills for success, become more effective and confident leaders, and better equip themselves to take on additional responsibilities.
Dan Cook, Operations Director at Europa Worldwide Group, comments. “At Europa, like many organisations, we often promote great people into more senior roles. That usually means they go from being good at what they do to needing to help others be great at what they do. It’s a big shift, and it calls for a whole new set of skills that most people don’t have right away. That’s where our management training comes in. It’s designed to help them grow into that new role and build the capabilities they need to lead effectively.
“We have invested in the operation to provide the best system available for distributing goods between the UK and Europe via part load, full load or groupage. We are equally committed to upskilling and investing in our teams as a crucial part of this success, unlocking innovation and boosting productivity.”
Alison Flannery, Learning & Development Manager, adds; “Our tailored training approach is already delivering results, nurturing talent across the business and helping to build a stronger, more resilient team. Europa’s commitment to structured management development reflects our belief that sustained success is rooted in empowering people.”
