Owens-Illinois, Inc (O-I), the world's largest glass container manufacturer, announced the launch of Glass is Life (TM). This ground breaking marketing campaign is designed to showcase the unique and unmatched qualities of glass packaging to build successful food and beverage brands. A first ever global initiative, O-I's Glass is Life campaign also highlights the inherent love consumers have for glass.

"O-I's extensive research shows a strong demand for glass among consumers, but the marketplace does not adequately reflect this interest. O-I aim to influence the food and beverage industry's packaging decisions by showing the power of glass," said Al Stroucken, Chairman and CEO of O-I. "As the leading maker of the purest and most sustainable packaging, O-I is excited to spearhead a movement that demonstrates the unique attributes of glass packaging and brings brands back into glass."

CEOs from a wide range of businesses, brand managers, environmentalists, designers, parents and other leaders around the world have rallied behind the campaign to share their passion for glass. The Glass Training Board support O-Is imaginative approach through the "Best in Glass" award in Europe. 

Source: Owens-Illinois, Inc. for further information press  

In an article, in the Telegraph newspaper on the Saturday 4th June, it was reported that almost half of teenagers should be required to do an apprenticeship - style qualification at the age of 16 to lean a trade, according to the curriculum review press It does not seem that long ago that it was proposed there should be 50% of young people under the age of 30 to be encouraged to go to university.

Does that mean the apprenticeships which are currently offered which are heavily biased towards academic study or is there a need for a new indentured apprenticeship structure that makes it more appropriate for the ability and aptitude of a person that leans more towards learning by doing than book work. 

It is noble to admit that we have not yet got it right in UK. Whilst it is not always palatable to say we got it wrong in the past it is never too late to show young people in particular that going into industry is not a second rate option but a wise investment that can lead to an interesting career. 

If there is a desire later to go to university then qualifications can be gained at college through evening study and day release. The more progressive employers will support employees to gain higher qualifications where there is a benefit to the individual and the company. NVQs have helped to make learning at work more systematic but they are not a complete replacement for studying the principles and practice related to a trade or profession in the workplace, in the old fashioned way, learning from a Meister. Unfortunately too many academic and politically minded  people looked upon the traditional apprenticeship as a method by which employers got a cheap method of labour. For those of us who gained our experience from learning from those Meisters on shop floor and were able to do a job of work worth doing that met all the motivational criteria of self respect and was an educational route that created an identity. A person that has learned a thing or two at work with the additional opportunity to study at college was a foundation for senior positions in industry and for those with the ability to go further in education to study for a degree part time. 

The logo on your left is the Oxford and Cambridge RSA awarding body with recognizes management achievement in the workplace.  Don't lets wait until there is a European Directive that states that your supervisors and managers need to hold a qualification in management to be able to practice in UK. Well there is a European Directive for everything else so what makes us think that there will not be a directive related to manager qualifications and performance. If Europe is to compete in home world markets then managers need to be best in class.  GTL offers a simple way of getting and staying qualified as a manager or supervisor. Qualifications are of little value unless those that hold them behave differently from those that are not qualified to manage. If it is your intention to grow your business or for that matter consolidate what you are good at then a management qualification that is gained from understanding good practice in getting things done through others has many benefits for a business, individuals and teams, organization and customers. Contact info@glass-training.co.uk  for more information. Those managers involved do not have to leave their workplaces to gain a qualification in management.

 

National Training Awards

Now in their 25th year, the National Training Awards (NTAs) recognize and celebrate Investors in People accredited organizations that have delivered outstanding organizational benefits by directly linking training needs of their people to the business needs of their organization.

Winning an Award can directly impact on an organization's success. 40% of recent winners have seen real bottom line benefits as a result of with one in five stating that they had seen an increase in the number of contracts secured following an award win. One in three said that their organization had become more efficient. Press for further details. 

Every company in the glass and related industry is automatically a member of the federation Glass Training Ltd which is owned by the members of the glass and fenestration industry. This allows you to access our free advisory service wherever you are in the UK and Europe. 

To be a subscribing member there is a need to register with GTL. This provides you access to our comprehensive training and development service specifically designed for the glass and related industry. GTL has over 30 years service in helping employers to develop training initiatives to improve individual, team and organizational performance. 

GTL is the organization that developed the first suite of NVQs and SVQs for glass related qualifications. It also managed the introduction of an MSc in management and glass technology. It has established a range of glass related programmes and courses which can be accessed through open and distance learning. GTL is a leading organization used by glass employers in Europe. 

GTL works closely with other organizations thus able to deliver any kind of training and development relevant to the glass and related industry.  Please press to browse our website. If you would like GTL to contact you to discuss your needs please contact us on the telephone number or email address above. GTL is based in Sheffield and is funded from members subscriptions and competitively designed fee paying assignments.

The "Glass Manufacture Course" is relevant to all that work in the different sectors that make up the glass and related industry. This open learning course contains seven DVDs and linked text modules. This includes a module on the nature of glass. Raw materials and batch mixing. Followed by the glass preparation process. Glass melting furnaces both pot furnaces and heat generative furnaces used for making glass containers and similar ware. Glass forming processes, feeding, blowing, pressing and rolling and drawing. A module on glass faults and glass annealing which includes glass fracture and faults, annealing theory and annealing practice. A whole module on secondary processes, hot forming and processing, glass surface removal and glass surface addition.

 There is also information on basic glass science in a form that the non-scientific can understand, helpful in completing the study of the text and DVD elements of the course. The glass manufacture open-learning course is relevant to anyone working in the glass and fenestration sector. 

It provides an insight into how glass is manufactured and provides knowledge that will provide your sales team and technicians alike to convince your customers you know how glass is made and the benefits of glass as a material in its own right, how environmentally friendly it is, and how it can be utilized to provided excellent products when linked to other processes including installation. Contact GTL for further information on how this learning package can be used in your organization to help the development of your employees, office staff, sales staff, managers, operatives, technicians and crafts persons.

 Pearson's Glass launch a new range of art glasses which compliment their extensive range of  processed and stock glasses. GTL has worked closely with Pearsons for many years awarding glass processing NVQs for their factories and warehouse staff as well as supporting them with their specialist training and development needs related to health and safety. 

AC Yule has several factories in Scotland and Northern England: for further details  press. They have achieved the Investors in People National Award for Excellence over the last decade. They have worked closely with GTL for almost 30 years and their managing director is a director on the Glass Training Board. This demonstrates their commitment to the glass and related industry ensuring the industry produces sustainable national and specific glass sector people policies. 

AC Yule have demonstrated over a number of years that they invest in the development of their employees through effective workplace learning. AC Yule's "Learning for Excellence programme" underpins the strategy that plays a major role in enabling the company to achieve ongoing improvements and industry leadership. 

The programme comprises of development activities which enable Yule's to achieve and exceed the desired level of performance (KPIs). In an external survey of the performance of the company it was quoted that: "Over recent years, the pursuit of 'Achieving People Excellence' has been identified as one of AC Yules key Critical Success Factors."

Glass Training Ltd is an organization that wants to be associated with innovation and creativity and the systematic and dynamic people development that ensures success with high risk ventures.  

The last couple of decades has accelerated the use of science and technology on a far reaching  platform than ever before. Many glass and glazing companies have concentrated on the development of manual skills until new technology has benn introduced integrating electronics, electrics, pneumatics hydraulics with more sophisticated mechanical systems in the manufacture and processing of glass. 

Whilst these changes have brought major investment into glass processing and manufacture other industries have been encouraged to race ahead into outer space.  The world has clearly benefited from linking engineering, science and technology. 

Perhaps the greatest change has been in communications;  being able to observe changes first hand when years ago we would only have had reports on radio and black and white images in newspapers and journals. This photo completely disturbs the indolence of the mind. It shows the international space station together with the space shuttle, the vehicle that helped build the complex during the last decade.  The pictures are the first taken of a shuttle docked to the station from the perspective of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The shuttle transported the astronauts to the space station from Cape Kennedy. With all that photo voltaic cells at least one must have been a capable glazier.

Business to College awards in Scotland 2011 celebrate the success of relationships and engagement between employers and colleges. 

The keynote speaker was the inspirational Fraser Doherty of Superjam. Superjam (TM) is a range of 100% pure fruit jams; sweetened with grape juice and made using using Super Fruits, such as blueberries.  

Fraser created SuperJam™, which now supplies major UK supermarkets, after being taught to make jam using his Gran’s secret recipes at the age of fourteen. Another example of Best in Glass. For further information press.

The Glass and Glazing Federation has appointed a new Deputy Chief Executive: Giles Willson. He will retain his position as as the Director of Technical Affairs. Giles is a Civil Engineer with a great deal of experience in all aspects of accreditation and assessment and will bring a new professionalism to the role of GGF. 

GGF has made a major contribution over the years for raising the profile of the glass and fenestration industry. Giles will clearly play a significant role to introduce step change to a sector which does require to change to continue to be a professional player in the 21 century and beyond. The GGF has been a great supporter and promoter of ensuring the glass and glazing industry gets and stays qualified. The next major change is to encourage supervisors and managers to become certificated and qualified in management to be ahead of any impending future directive from Europe. 

The GTL newsletter is circulated to over 1000 companies covering all sectors of the UK glass sector.

If you would like your news to appear in the August edition of the GTL newsletter, please submit your stories to newsletter@glass-training.co.uk by the end of the month.