While it may be fairly obvious that upskilling will increase the opportunities to secure that next role, I find myself consistently advising industrial electricians to either develop current skills or begin learning new ones.
Whether it be instrumentation, PLC coding, advanced motor control, trouble shooting or even developing mechanical abilities and skills, businesses are often becoming more demanding of their in-house maintenance team.
I regularly meet industrial electricians every week and while they may present very good skills in several areas, they will still be flagged as ‘unsuited’ because one area may be lacking. This does not always mean a negative result when job seeking, however my advice has always been ‘continuous development of skills, old or new, is never a waste of time’.
Stephen Covey, author of the ‘7 Habits of Highly Successful People’ talks about ‘Sharpening the Saw’ in which he refers to continuously honing and improving your skills. This will filter through to confidence when confronted with unfamiliar breakdowns or undertaking new projects.
In the case of industrial electrical, whether it be part of a maintenance crew, service team or project management – always be looking to improve your skillset through training, courses, acquiring a mentor or practice in your own time at home. Always be looking to sharpen the saw.
David Thornley
Mac Personnel
