Date 2017
Region South East
Size 50-249 employees
Sector Technology
number of trainees since 2008
£ cost per participant per event
hours: length of each immersive training event
%
consultants' time devoted to training and research
Training is central to success
In recognition of the company’s commitment to improving industry performance, and the increasing relevance of cyber security, the research-led firm has been awarded the City & Guilds Group Princess Royal Training Award – for the HackFu programme.
Peer to peer learning
MWR’s HackFu challenges are designed around specific learning objectives, for example, handling new types of technology such as the new contactless payment terminals – along with leadership skills and teamwork.
This dynamic approach to training is vital in an industry where staying on top of change matters. “There aren’t many formal courses we can send the guys on,” said Kerrie Fraser, Security Project Manager.
Engaging competitors
HackFu is invite-only and limited to 100 participants – and it’s the invitation everyone in the sector wants.
It is designed to showcase the opportunities within the industry, and within MWR especially, in order to support recruitment objectives.
Agile training design
For some employees, HackFu has paved the way for promotion. But MWR ensures the learning doesn’t end when the event is over. The challenges are then made openly available for participants to review where they struggled and seek help from the challenge designer or a colleague to take their knowledge forward.
Fostering a team spirit in a remote working environment
“Consultants often work on site with clients for long periods and it can be quite solitary,” Ms Fraser said. “Bringing everyone back for a weekend to be together in one place and inviting colleagues from our newer offices – it’s good for staff morale.”
It also helps MWR remain appealing to highly-skilled employees who are in demand elsewhere. Ms Fraser added: “Because of the industry skills shortage, we have to do something which makes MWR attractive and makes our staff feel valued. HackFu is a good motivator and keeps them wanting to stay.”
Clients want HackFu training too
“We knew that HackFu worked as training,” Ms Fraser said, “but we never really stopped to think about why and how. We were sort of saying, ‘You will all learn something from this, but we can’t really tell you what that will be.’
There’s now a real appetite for delivering training in a different way, and when a client asked us to do this, the process really helped us to formalise the training. So the future for HackFu is big.”
Ms Fraser said they were thrilled to be awarded a PRTA. “Although the industry is relatively new, it is massively competitive,” she said. “With so many new companies, how do you differentiate yourself?”
“Having the validation of an accreditation like this is a big thing for a relatively small company doing something a bit different. It’s good to have someone effectively saying, we know training, and we think what you’re doing is right.”
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