Jost UK has won high praise for its training programme. Held over two days, it was the first of a new style of event that the company intends to run regularly.
Jost UK is a provider of truck and trailer components, axle systems, brakes, tipping cylinders and hydraulic systems, fifth wheels, landing legs, and equipment for commercial and agricultural vehicles. As well as hardware, it provides training courses for anybody associated with its products and equipment.
Paul Clayton, UK and Regional Technical Sales and Support at Jost, explained the reason for this commitment: “When large vehicles travel on public highways, safety has to be the number one priority. All equipment must be in tip-top condition, properly installed and serviced, and operated with 100% regard for all aspects of safety. This is a big ask, so we do all we can to help users of our equipment work safely and efficiently.
The first of the new training sessions took place at Jost UK’s Bolton headquarters, and covered the company’s entire range, including Jost, Edbro, Rockinger and Tridec products. The delegates included representatives from its nationwide network of service agents.
Paul continued, “Organised seminars and training days are great because we can get instant feedback from the delegates. Our speakers are knowledgeable and experienced so are able to adapt their presentations to meet every delegate’s needs, or are happy to go over specific issues on a one-to-one basis.”
This interaction between delegates and speakers was much appreciated, with an overall approval rating of 9.4/10 from the attendees. Several people noted how welcoming the Jost team were and said that this created a friendly atmosphere. Here are a few examples of the feedback from the event:
- “The Jost training day was professionally organised with friendly staff, good tuition and great technical explanation.”
- “Couldn’t have asked for more! Great technical guidance and great refreshments; we were very well looked after.”
- “All was excellent. Nice training centre, the people were lovely, and the food and facilities were brilliant.”
The company’s plan going forward is to run bigger events with larger audiences and cover a wide range of topics. This will give each attendee an overview of the whole field of vehicle care and maintenance, while allowing them to also focus on their particular areas of interest.
“The discussions are two-way and that is very useful for us,” said Paul. “We often pick up anecdotal comments that ring true. For instance, informal discussions led us to suspect that fifth wheels tend to miss out on regular inspection and maintenance, so we have put in place a number of initiatives to encourage checking.”
As well as presentations, most seminars include practical sessions where the engineers, technicians and drivers get to practice the techniques and procedures they are learning about. A quiz at the end of the day allows Jost to assess how effective the presentation has been. This information is combined with questionnaires and other feedback, and is used when planning future events.
Paul concluded, “Safety is absolutely paramount for us, as a minor mishap on the public highway can easily escalate into something really serious. We strive to ensure that everybody involved – from drivers to company directors – meets every guideline, standard and regulation, and that vehicles fitted with our equipment are always roadworthy and fully maintained.”
