How Strategise to Thrive is helping Spiral UK plan for the future

Strategic workforce planning was something Spiral UK knew it needed to focus on, but finding the time and structure to do it effectively was a challenge. Through Enginuity’s Strategise to Thrive programme, Managing Director Eric Nicholls has gained practical tools and guidance to help the business take a more structured approach to planning for future workforce needs.

What is Strategise to Thrive?

Enginuity’s Strategise to Thrive programme helps small and medium-sized engineering and manufacturing businesses develop their workforce planning skills.

Through seven online sessions over six months, participants learn how to assess their current workforce, identify skills and capacity gaps, and plan for future business needs. The programme combines practical tools and resources with opportunities to share experiences and learn from other SMEs.

About Spiral UK and Eric Nicholls

Spiral UK is a leading Cornwall-based manufacturer of bespoke staircases that supplies the construction sector.

As Managing Director, Eric Nicholls understands the importance of having the right people in place to support the business. Before joining Strategise to Thrive, Spiral UK recognised the need to plan for future workforce requirements but lacked the internal capacity and structure to do so effectively.

Recruitment was a particular challenge, with the business finding it difficult to attract candidates in a limited labour market. Finding people with the right skills and the right fit for the business had also proved difficult. 

Eric is also a trustee of Enginuity, supporting the charity’s work to address skills gaps across engineering and manufacturing.

Taking a more strategic approach to workforce planning

Taking part in Strategise to Thrive helped Spiral UK move away from focusing solely on immediate recruitment needs and start thinking further ahead.

The practical tools and planning documents introduced during the programme gave Eric a clearer structure for considering the business’s future workforce requirements. He also valued the opportunity to learn from other SMEs and hear how they were approaching similar challenges.

Eric commented on his experience: “Strategise to Thrive has helped us to formalise our thinking and make a plan for our future workforce needs. The programme’s flexible structure also made it easier to fit the training around the demands of running a business. It’s a very well-structured programme, not too demanding because it’s spread out over time.”

Planning for the future

Although it is still early to measure the programme’s longer-term impact, Spiral UK feels better equipped to plan for its future workforce needs. The business expects to have a more developed workforce plan in place by the end of the year.

For Eric, one of the key lessons has been the importance of looking beyond immediate operational pressures and considering where the business wants to be in the years ahead. With a clearer structure and practical tools to work with, Spiral UK is better placed to consider the skills and capacity it will need in the future.

Find out more about Strategise to Thrive

Strategise to Thrive gives eligible engineering and manufacturing SMEs the tools and guidance to take a more structured approach to workforce planning.

Discover more about Strategise to Thrive