The term “training” gets thrown around a lot in our industry. Too often, it’s something you do to tick a compliance box or to make sure engineers are signed off for insurance purposes. But at GfA, we’ve come to see training in an entirely different light—and we’d like to encourage the rest of the industrial door sector to do the same.Training, in our view, isn’t just an obligation, it’s a competitive advantage. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have to drive growth, innovation, and customer loyalty. That might sound grand but let me explain why it’s true—and why now is the time to act.
From Product Training to Business Enablement
Historically, product training in our industry has been narrow in scope. Come in, learn how to wire a drive, maybe a quick tour of the manual, and off you go. That’s fine as far as it goes. But what if training did more than that? What if it created confident salespeople, technical experts, and customer-facing ambassadors who could differentiate your business in the field?
That’s the approach we’ve taken at GfA over the past few years. We recognised early on that there was a vacuum in the market—an absence of structured, forward-thinking training. Apprenticeship pathways were patchy at best. Companies were relying on informal methods, or worse, not training at all. So, we stepped in—not just to fill that gap, but to redefine what industrial door training should look like.
Our programmes now reach far beyond installation and connecting. Yes, we still teach engineers the practical nuts and bolts. We also cover compliance, new standards, value-added selling, and how to spot commercial opportunities. We help them understand where the industry is going and how to align with it. In short, we don’t just teach people how to install our products—we empower them to make better business decisions.
Training for the Real World
One of the things that makes our training different is that it’s grounded in reality. Customers tell us that as well as referring to a trade or certification body, they come to us for clarity around the interpretation of new standards and regulations. We don’t sit on the fence. We talk about how regulations apply in practice, what industry officials are really looking for, and how to meet standards in a way that’s commercially viable.
Take fire shutters, for example. When the standards changed, we didn’t just release a new product—we ran sessions explaining what the changes meant, how to adapt, and how to support end-users in the transition. We demystified the jargon, unpacked the risks, and gave customers the confidence to navigate change.
That’s where the value lies. Training should remove friction. It should remove fear. And it should give businesses a clear roadmap for success, even when the landscape is shifting.
A Strategic Imperative, Not Just an Option
Let’s be clear—training isn’t a “nice to have,” it’s a business-critical activity. The pace of technological change in our sector is accelerating. Whether it’s IoT, AI, or advanced safety integrations, we’re entering a new era. And companies that fail to keep up will fall behind fast.
At GfA, we’ve made it our mission to be the bridge between emerging technologies and practical implementation. We don’t just understand new developments—we actively interpret them for our customers. We explain what IoT really means in an industrial door context. We talk through how IoT might enhance diagnostics, maintenance planning, or safety systems. Then we train customers on how to apply these technologies in the field.
Often, these innovations don’t even originate with us. But we make it our business to learn, adapt, and support our customers with integrated solutions. That’s the kind of value people remember—and it’s what builds long-term loyalty.
The Decline in Skills: Stop sidelining and undervaluing engineers who service and install
All of this comes at a time when the skills base in our industry is under serious pressure. For years, government policy has focused on academic achievement, and vocational pathways have been sidelined. Engineering, construction, and trade skills have been underfunded, under-promoted, and under-valued. And now we’re paying the price.
We see it every day—too few qualified engineers, a lack of structured development, and companies struggling to find and retain skilled staff. Meanwhile, university graduates are saturating the job market with degrees that don’t align with economic demand.
This is a national issue, and we need a national response. But within our sector, we can take responsibility too. We can stop waiting for others to solve the problem and start building talent from the ground up. That means investing in training—not just as a compliance tool, but as a pillar of recruitment, retention, and performance.
For decades we’ve been importing skilled workers and investing in non-vocational soft-subject degrees. We need to invest heavily in vocational training and show respect to NVQs, apprenticeships and people who do the work.
Making the Industry Attractive Again
There’s also a perception problem to fix. In the UK, engineering doesn’t always get the respect it deserves. That’s a cultural failure. In Germany, engineers are held in the same regard as doctors and lawyers. Here, we still sometimes treat the trades as a fallback option.
But the tide is turning. Wages are rising, the work is becoming more complex and more rewarding, and young people are starting to see the appeal. We have an opportunity to rebrand the industrial door industry as a smart, modern, well-paid career choice. Training plays a massive role in that. The better your onboarding, the better your culture. The better your culture, the longer people stay. And the longer they stay, the stronger your business becomes.
Partner Training: The Hidden Advantage
Our training doesn’t stop at our own front door. It extends to strategic product associations—for example complimentary company product lines like those from BEA, CEDES, or other leaders in sensing and automation. If we’re supplying a complete package that includes third-party products, we make sure we’re experts in those products too.
Why? Because integration matters. A brilliant drive unit is no good if the safety sensors aren’t installed properly. A control panel is only as effective as the system it’s connected to. If we can’t support the full package, we’re failing our customers. So, we invest in cross-training. We build strong links with our suppliers. And we pass that expertise on.
That’s one of the reasons why industry leading suppliers like working with us. They know their products will be represented correctly. They know the end user will get a joined-up solution. And they know we’ll back them with technical competence and real-world knowledge.
The Role of the DHF
The DHF plays a critical role in raising standards through the training they offer. Since their first training course in 2013 to the more recent roll-out of the ESA accredited NVQ’s, they provide a variety of accessible programmes and support to both members and non-members alike.
But we need to collectively raise the baseline across the industry. That means consistent standards, accessible programmes, and clear messaging about why training matters. A skilled, knowledgeable workforce is in everyone’s interest and benefits the entire supply chain. It improves safety, reduces rework, enhances customer satisfaction, and makes our industry more competitive.
Where Do We Go From Here? If you take one message from this article, let it be this: training is no longer optional. It’s no longer a cost centre. It’s an investment—and one that pays back many times over.
Whether you’re a small installer or a multinational manufacturer, you should be thinking seriously about how you train your people and more importantly customer training. Not just for today’s challenges, but for tomorrow’s opportunities. What will your engineers need to know five years from now? How will your salespeople position integrated systems? What technologies are already reshaping your customers’ expectations?
Those aren’t questions you answer with a toolbox talk. They require structured learning, shared understanding, and a company-wide commitment to excellence.
At GfA, we’re proud to be leading the charge. But we don’t want to do it alone. If the industry steps up together, we can create a new standard—one where training is respected, pursued, and celebrated as the strategic superpower it truly is.
By Andy Collett, Managing Director, GfA UK Limited www.gfa-elektromaten.co.uk
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