Develop elevates National Grid’s leadership with bespoke training programme

Develop Training, one of the UK’s leading accredited providers of compliance, technical and safety training, has partnered with National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) to deliver a highly successful, bespoke training programme centred around modern managerial skills.

NGED delivers a safe and reliable electricity supply to eight million customers in the Midlands, South West and South Wales.

Following the results of a recent internal survey, NGED saw the need to equip their managers with the necessary skills to be leaders of the future. In recognising the need to work alongside an expert training provider, NGED appointed Develop.

Develop’s initial remit was to provide a one-day mental resilience and cognitive agility course for NGED’s mid-level managers to help them better understand how their thoughts, emotions and behaviours may impact other team members.

However, due to the overwhelming positive response surrounding the training programme, the senior leadership team at NGED were keen to roll the training out to all levels within the organisation.

In view of the success of the project, NGED also challenged Develop to create a more advanced, two-year long curated training programme designed to meet National Grid’s needs.

The bespoke programme, Building High Performing Teams, is specifically designed to support managers’ personal wellbeing, equip them with the communication skills required and foster more emotionally intelligent leadership within the business.

These intrinsic skills greatly help to elevate the managers’ proficiency, increasing their capability to navigate difficult day-to-day challenges and improving their ability to build relationships with their co-workers.

To achieve such a suitable training programme, Develop needed to gain a deep understanding of NGED’s culture, key processes and pressure points. Therefore, Develop arranged for organisational specialists to conduct comprehensive site visits and engage with senior leaders and operational managers to understand their unique pressures, challenges and aspirations.

The programme is delivered on National Grid premises over six days for cohorts of up to ten managers, involving practical and interactive activities across a range of topics such as identifying the impact of communication styles, promoting high performing team traits, and creating a culture of collective intelligence.

Since beginning in September 2022, the programme remains in high demand and has received a 100% positive feedback rating between January and April 2023. Currently, the training has been delivered to almost 2,000 employers and is due to continue into 2024 and beyond.

By crafting a training programme that perfectly aligns with NGED’s needs, Develop has helped shape the future of leadership, ensuring that the leaders of tomorrow are well-equipped with the skills, insights and emotional intelligence to excel in their roles and drive organisational success.

Kate Denial, Cross Industry Training Manager at Develop, commented: “Working with National Grid Electricity Distribution has been a real pleasure. Initially, we were only partnering with them on a one-day course, but thanks to overwhelmingly positive feedback and results, we have vastly expanded our relationship to include a two-year training programme to boost employee performance across the board.

“Our work together really demonstrates the value of proper collaboration, employee investment, and dedicated expertise.”

Ian Payne, Chief People Officer at National Grid Electricity Distribution, said: “Our collaboration with Develop has been transformative. The bespoke training programme it has provided has not only elevated the skills and capabilities of our managers but has also had a positive ripple effect throughout our entire organisation.

“The emphasis on modern managerial skills, as well as personal wellbeing, has been invaluable in navigating the challenges of our dynamic industry. We commend Develop for their dedication and expertise in understanding our unique needs and delivering a programme that has exceeded our expectations.”

For more information about Develop please visit https://www.developtraining.co.uk.