“I actually got out and did this and did it on my own.”
Allan enrolled in the ITL3 programme because he wanted to expand on his learning to further his opportunities inside the company.
Allan says he got out of school as soon as he could and hadn’t done any study in 35 years. Yet, for an older learner he found the course really achievable. He said, ‘I’m proud that I actually got out and did this and did it on my own. It pushed me at times. But it was still achievable, and I still managed it by myself. It made me really think about things and the outcomes have been really, really good.’
It was the communication aspect of the course that Allan found most useful. It allowed him to gain insight into ‘why’, and how things should be done. He realised he was using new-found skills to ‘smooth the waters’ within his team of 35. In his words, ‘Leading a big team means there’s a lot of diversity. If you use due process, you go about it in a proper manner, you talk to people properly, do your research. I’ve had some really good outcomes actually from it.’
The course has given Allan confidence and enabled him to have a go at things. Inside and outside the company, he can talk with people on various levels and has done so to initiate new policies and procedures such as how drivers drive around a site and introducing a new system for scheduling drivers and trucks.
Allan believes if you say, ‘Hey I’d really like to have a go at this, people go, man that’s quite cool. And they’ll five you a go at things.’
Fonterra have used Allan’s achievement as a role-model for others. It’s his attitude of, ‘you don’t win every day, but you get there in the end’, that has paved the way for other employees to follow.