Astrak was the first Fife employer to apply to Fife College through the new Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) SME fund.

Formed in 2003, Kirkcaldy-based Astrak is the UK's leading supplier of heavy-duty undercarriage and wear part components for tracked machinery such as excavators and bulldozers. The company has a solid commitment to supporting its 60-strong staff through learning and works hard towards ensuring individuals have the skills they need to excel in the workplace.

Astrak worked with Fife College to put its staff through IOSH Managing Safely, ILM Level 3 Award in Management and Leadership and hosting in-house Train-the-Trainer courses. The SME fund allowed it to apply for £5,000 of additional funding per year to support non-mandatory staff development.

John Wyllie - Group Operations Manager at Astrak, commented:

"We identified around 20 staff working within a project environment who we felt would benefit from developing their communications skills in a customer-centric context to deliver an outstanding customer experience.

“After consultation with Fife College, we chose a course called "Positive Behaviours and Effective Communication", which the college delivered in March 2021. The course aims to leave delegates with a clear plan of improving their communication skills, enabling them to achieve the right results with the right people at the right time.

“We’re keen to develop our relationship with Fife College to enhance our internal employee training program further.”

The outcome of the course was very positive for the company. The lessons learned have given the participants new tools and confidence to deal effectively with the different customer-related situations that can occur daily in their busy working environment.

Image by Astrak