International secondments are a great way to fill vacancies from within and share knowledge across countries and business units. They can bring a wide range of benefits, both for employers and employees, offering excellent opportunities for individuals to develop new skills and experience different cultures.
We spoke to Nick Baglioni who has just completed a secondment in the UK from Chemring Australia. And also, Jamie Howkins who’s doing the reverse and has been in Australia since 2018.
Nick says, “For Chemring, there were real benefits in knowledge transfer. I brought my experiences from the Beta facility in Lara to Salisbury. Salisbury was revamping manufacturing at the time I arrived, pushing production through the automated facility. I could share what we’d learnt at Lara as the plants are almost identical in many ways.”
“For me personally, I’ve experienced a different work culture and learnt new production processes. I’ve also continued my professional development with lots of courses, such as automated software and mechanical design.”
Jamie has travelled extensively in Australia and has learnt a lot from his experience, he says, “So much about the Australian way of life needs to come back to the UK. From a professional point of view, there is a lot too, from turning around a business and changing the culture, to winning contracts and all that entails. Also, taking time to think deeply about issues and implications, how to manage a team with flexible working, as well as the importance of teamwork and communication.”