Developed by Education Unlimited in partnership with Groundspread NZ, GroundED offers bespoke training to a workforce which has typically built its capabilities on-the-job rather than in the classroom. The new ‘Leadership Essentials’ course will lay strong foundations for the future of the sector while also empowering those within it to unlock their potential.

Groundspread NZ’s National Council Executive Officer Rose Hyslop has been a driving force behind the launch of the programme and believes GroundED will prove invaluable both at an individual level and industry wide.

“We started GroundED because year after year in our industry awards programme we noticed a gap on the nominations forms under ‘qualifications and achievements’ – this section is consistently left blank,” says Rose. “Some of these people have 30 or 40 years of experience and they are so good at what they do, they just don’t have the formal qualifications or training to show for it.”

Nurturing leadership across the network is a key value in Groundspread NZ’s current strategic plan, and Rose says the organisation – the only association for groundspreaders in the country – is passionate about supporting their 115 member companies and 450 groundspread units to grow.

“Some of our members have the mentality that they are ‘just a truckdriver’, but they have so much more to add. They are running businesses, dealing with people, managing staff. There are a whole heap of skills these guys have that we wanted to pull out of them. It’s about giving them confidence too. 

“We believe this leadership training will help them in so many ways – whether personally or within their own businesses, in their regional branch or at a national level, even on their children’s sports team or school board.”

GroundED kicked off on February 12 with a ‘Leadership Essentials’ full-day workshop at the Ravensdown Hornby Works in Christchurch. Attended by 21 groundspreaders from across New Zealand, the “genuinely tailormade” training was designed by Education Unlimited specifically for the industry.

“We worked with Education Unlimited resource writer and facilitator Martin Tanner to pinpoint the exact skills we wanted attendees to take away from the training, such as understanding different communication styles, listening and communicating effectively, and understanding the difference between managers and leaders.

The feedback Rose has received from participants of the first workshop has been “overwhelmingly positive”. 

“One comment that really stood out to me was hearing a participant say ‘wow, I feel like I’m part of a group of people that really wants to invest in me’.”

Other participant feedback included: 

• “It’s a good steppingstone for someone without a lot of formal training in these areas.”
• “It was enjoyable, easy to follow, and we could still have a laugh while we learnt.”
• “The training was engaging and interactive. I liked the working groups throughout the day which gave us all a chance to mix with others and share our experiences.”

The GroundED programme includes two full-day Education Unlimited workshops (the second will take place in July) and attendance at two Groundspread NZ National Council meetings, which provides insights into aspects like governance. Programme participants will graduate at the Groundspread NZ Awards Gala.

“We wanted to give everyone the chance to walk across the stage and be celebrated, and give their family and friends an opportunity to watch them receive their certificates.”

The first Education Unlimited programme has been met with such a great response that Groundspread NZ is now planning to make it an annual offering.

Adds Rose, “Hand-on-heart I thought this training might be a barrier to those in the industry who have dyslexia and other learning differences, but the Education Unlimited team have taken great care with our members and are well-equipped to support these learners. I find it amazing that this first group of groundspreaders have all jumped onboard with this formal learning and soon will have a qualification to show for it. 

“MBIE and the SWEP (Sector Workforce Engagement Programme) team introduced us to Education Unlimited and they’ve been so personable and helpful in supporting us with all the backroom stuff so we can go ahead with the frontend fun stuff. We’re just a small organisation and not in a position to fill out grant forms for funding and those sorts of things, but Education Unlimited has guided us through all of that, and made the process easy and enjoyable. 

“It has actually been a dream process for a small association like us.”

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