No matter how sophisticated the systems, processes and technology become in the field of maintenance and asset management, people are still the most important part of any operation.  Quality decision-making and execution depends on a workforce with the right skills, knowledge and experience, supported by competent and inspiring leadership, brought together with a supportive culture. 

A major challenge facing heavy industries today is that leaders are being promoted earlier – and therefore with less experience – than in previous years.  The skills shortage means that engineers and tradespeople who used to spend many years in their roles before becoming supervisors and managers are now coming into leadership roles without the level of practical experience that their predecessors had.  And without the proper support, training and ongoing personal development, it’s unreasonable to expect today’s leaders to perform with the necessary skill in their jobs.  The result can be less-engaged teams, with poorer teamwork and culture, leading to reduced performance. 

Beyond leadership skills, the same applies for technical skills.  Many tradespeople move into planning and reliability roles, but are left to learn on the job.  Asset management is also becoming a more complex discipline, requiring commercial and data skills, and learning must be a life-long exercise.  Many managers with responsibility for asset management might also come from non-maintenance backgrounds such as mining or process engineering, or even accounting.  Understanding how to lead asset management teams – what needs attention and what can be left alone – is a critical skill to master. And it’s made harder without a relevant foundation to draw on.   

At Bluefield, we provide training, coaching and mentoring for today’s leaders, engineers and planners. By teaching these core skills and knowledge, we can equip your people to manage assets and lead others in a heavy industry environment.  And with a variety of flexible classes in-person or online, we even can work with you to design and deliver bespoke asset management courses for your organisation.   

Our training programs cover both technical or asset management processes, along with leadership and supervision skills.  Above all, they’re based on practical experience from the lessons learned by our Bluefield team members. 

We also believe that effective learning must go beyond the classroom.  That’s why our training programs include the option of ongoing coaching and mentoring support.  We can do this in-person, remotely via phone, online or by video chat; giving participants the chance to practice, refine and improve their skills with ongoing support. For many, this can mean a better chance of long-term success.   

Our training experience spans many industries including mining and transport, and covers a range of roles from engineers, planners and supervisors to senior and executive leaders. Our asset management specialists, coaches and mentors have decades of relevant experience and have developed their own coaching skills and techniques over time. 

Our training is available online through our Bluefield Academy web site.