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Tailor-made talent development: The Pauwels Consulting Training Programs
Finding talented employees for technical and technological bottleneck professions is not easy. That is why at Pauwels Consulting we consciously focus on talent development and competence training.
We do this by means of Training Programs, tailor-made for our consultants and our clients. From now on, we do not search feverishly for the perfect match between consultants and projects – we create that match by training and coaching the most suitable consultants in a goal-oriented way.
We caught up with Koen De Borle, our new Training Program Manager, and asked him about the advantages of the Pauwels Consulting Training Program for customers and consultants.
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Koen, you recently made a switch within Pauwels Consulting. You are now the very first Training Program Manager. Congratulations! Can you tell us more about your new role?
Koen De Borle: Thank you! My new role is an exciting combination of new challenges and acquired insights in the consulting world. Previously, I worked as a Recruiter and Account Manager in the Engineering Unit. Now I am focusing on talent development and managing our Training Programs, through which we as a company aim to meet the changing needs and trends in our industry.
On the one hand, we see a scarcity of qualified personnel to fill the needs of our business partners in a timely manner. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find candidates who have all the required skills, and who are quickly and fully available. On the other hand, we see the need for consultants to develop skills they currently lack.
Our Training Programs provide a solution for both parties. In an adapted service model, we now develop custom learning solutions for young & high potentials. This enables us to prepare them for specific projects in a targeted way. A win-win situation for our consultants and our clients.
"We constantly monitor our consultants and actively encourage them to continuously develop their talents so that we can ensure that 'perfect fit.' "
What exactly are these ‘custom learning solutions’?
Koen: Our Training Programs are custom programs in which we optimally gear the knowledge, expertise and skills of our consultants to the needs of our clients. The duration of these programs can vary between a few months and 2 years. During this time, we guide our trainee consultants with a team of coaches, trainers, mentors and experts.
We have been stimulating active learning and talent development in our organization for some time. We have our own Pauwels Consulting Academy with seminars and webinars that our consultants are free to attend. We have also embarked on the digital road with some pilot projects in the field of e-learning. We have also been working for years with external training partners and a team of internal expert trainers.
And now we are literally going a step further. In our Training Programs we constantly follow up on our consultants and actively encourage them to develop their talents. In this way we can continue to guarantee the perfect fit with new projects.
Koen De Borle, Training Program Manager at Pauwels Consulting
That sounds interesting! What are the main benefits of the new Training Programs for the customer?
Koen: Our new Training Programs enable us to prepare our consultants for new projects in a targeted way. So we no longer have to look for the perfect white ravens; we find suitable consultants and prepare them for their next projects.
Our clients get consultants who match their projects almost perfectly in terms of skills, knowledge and mindset, now and in the future. That is a strong added value at a time when the newspapers are full of the war on talent, and literally everyone is having a hard time finding suitable employees.
Because we have a strong network of consultants and can quickly set up Training Programs, we can quickly help our customers meet urgent needs. At the same time, we can also provide a good match for the long term because our clients have a direct say in the development of our consultant(s) in their teams.
"Our clients no longer have to search for the perfect candidate for their projects. You often can't find those anyway. We look for a good match, and we create the perfect fit through individual training and personal guidance from our consultants."
What skills are taught?
Koen: Attitude is key, skills can be trained. At Pauwels Consulting we are completely convinced of that. Our recruiters therefore screen and qualify new candidates primarily based on their DNA. It has to match the DNA of Pauwels Consulting and the DNA and values of our clients. If we find such a high potential, we start up a Training Program.
We focus on 2 types of skills: knowledge and professional skills that need to be acquired to be able to do the job optimally, and soft skills that enable a seamless collaboration with the client’s team.
These professional skills, by the way, are constantly changing. After all, the current technological revolution means that our customers have to adapt even faster to an increasingly complex reality. Digitization, internet of things, AI, robotization and other developments constantly require new knowledge and skills from employees.
In such a changing environment, human skills are also becoming increasingly important. Emotional intelligence, modern communication and collaboration skills, proactivity, dealing with change and new digital tools, data and project handling… These are just a few key skills we can make a difference with. We ensure that our consultants are an optimal fit for our clients, in the short and long term.
Barbara De Greve, Account Manager Engineering at Pauwels Consulting
Sounds good! You’ve already indicated it a bit, but what are the benefits of the Training Programs for consultants?
Koen: Our consultants receive in-depth coaching, training and mentoring with a strong focus on talent development. In this way they acquire skills that are currently scarce on the market. Here you can think of technical skills such as IT development, process validation and CSV, design engineering, prototyping, automation and project management, but also soft skills such as stress resistance, resilience, communication and collaboration.
Because every consultant is different, we work towards individual learning goals. We provide personal guidance and test the acquired knowledge and skills in modern and demanding settings by working together with professionals, peers and fellow trainees.
Young potentials get the chance to develop their talents through a tailor-made program, and high potentials can also further develop their career and gain additional knowledge and experience. At Pauwels Consulting, the growth and talent development of our consultants is more central than ever! This creates a win-win-win for our consultants, our clients and Pauwels Consulting as a company.
"We screen candidates to check whether their DNA matches that of Pauwels Consulting and the DNA and values of our clients. If that click is there, we make sure that our people's talent is developed further. Attitude is key, skills can be trained.”
You mention young and high potentials. Who exactly qualifies for the Training Program?
Koen: We focus for these programs on candidates who want to develop further or transform themselves within a particular expertise. These can be people of 25, 37 or 44 years of age. Age is not a deal breaker with us. We are looking for consultants who want to build on their level of knowledge at leading companies and give their best.
Some tips for interested candidates: curiosity and the ability to learn quickly will be decisive selection criteria, as will perseverance and a positive mindset. We screen for the skills that are key to success today: emotional intelligence, collaborative skills and the ability to handle change. If candidates have the right attitude, we can further develop the right skills with our Training Programs.
That’s all completely clear, Koen! Thank you for this interview and good luck with the roll-out of the Training Programs within Pauwels Consulting!
Maarten De Soete, participant Training Program
At Pauwels Consulting we are proud of our newest service that meets the scarcity in the candidate market and the development needs of our consultants.
Would you like to participate in a Pauwels Consulting Training Program? Check out our webpage, discover the benefits and contact us today to develop your talents.
Are you interested in discussing the benefits for you as a business partner? Contact our Training Program Manager Koen De Borle via the form below.
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