Why Partnerships Matter: A Win-Win Approach to Industry Collaboration

At Gully Howard Technical (GHT), we’re proud to build partnerships grounded in mutual respect, shared goals, and a win-win approach. One of the standout examples of this is our enduring relationship with Dave Lombardi, the founder of Workplace Scientifics (WPSC).

When Dave joined us as an associate trainer five years ago, he was at a pivotal point in his career. He was about to take the brave step of starting his own limited company, with limited experience in training delivery. Over time, Dave has become a skilled and very capable trainer. Today, his company has grown to a team of 8, yet he continues to collaborate with GHT, demonstrating a deep loyalty to our shared mission.

Together, we have built a partnership based on the belief that collaboration benefits everyone involved. Our aligned goals – advancing the industry, fostering professionalism, and creating lasting impact – have ensured that what might appear as potential conflicts of interest never materialise. Instead, we view our relationship as a model of how organisations can work together without saturating the market or creating unnecessary competition.

A Partnership Model to Inspire Others

Too often, businesses focus on profit at any cost, cutting margins to outbid competitors or becoming fixated on being the most visible name in the sector. While these strategies might seem unavoidable given external pressures like economic uncertainty or competitive tendering, they ultimately undermine long-term stability and sustainability for the industry.

Our partnership with Dave proves that there is another way. This collaborative approach isn't limited to the occupational hygiene industry. Related industries, such as asbestos, construction, environmental consulting, and occupational health, face similar challenges with skills shortages and tight margins. By applying the same principles of partnership and collaboration, businesses across these sectors can work together to build a more sustainable future. By staying aligned in our objectives and maintaining open communication, we ensure our partnership serves not only our companies but also the wider industry. We believe collaboration isn’t just about avoiding conflicts – it’s about proactively shaping the future of the industry by addressing shared challenges and leveraging collective strengths.

Learning from Industry Challenges

This ethos is particularly relevant given the current challenges facing the asbestos surveying sector and other industries reliant on specialist skills, such as environmental monitoring, occupational hygiene, and health and safety management. These sectors are all grappling with similar issues, including:

Skills shortages: Skills shortages: A lack of qualified & competent professionals is straining the ability of companies to meet demand.

Economic pressures: Salaries have been rising due to a combination of factors, including the high demand for skilled professionals, a significant shortage of qualified individuals, and cost-of-living increases. These pressures are compounded by competitive offers for surveyors, making it challenging for companies to manage costs, especially when locked into contracts that prevent them from passing on these increases to clients.

Market dynamics: Aggressive undercutting to secure tenders has driven down margins, leaving businesses financially vulnerable.

These factors have resulted in companies being sold, merged, or collapsing altogether. This volatile environment underscores the need for a shift in approach – one that values partnerships and long-term sustainability over short-term gain. While beneficial in principle, the potential introduction of a compulsory and public asbestos register could pose significant challenges for businesses already navigating economic and operational pressures.

Consider these statistics:

The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reported a 12% increase in workplace fatalities attributed to occupational hazards between 2022 and 2024.

A survey conducted in 2023 revealed that 68% of UK environmental sector businesses struggled to recruit qualified professionals, with nearly half citing a lack of accessible training as a barrier.

Entry-level salaries in occupational hygiene are approximately ￡35,000, increasing to ￡75,000+ for senior positions, highlighting the value of investing in talent development. In comparison, asbestos surveyor salaries start at around ￡28,000 for trainees and can rise to over ￡40,000 for experienced professionals or those holding specialist qualifications. We are also seeing that newly signed-off competent surveyors are immediately being offered salaries by prospective employers, that, only a year ago, were reserved for highly experienced professionals. While this stark change highlights how badly these skills are needed in the current market, it also raises concerns about the sustainability of these salary increases. With companies undercutting each other and margins already tight, the affordability of such salaries is becoming a pressing issue. These figures demonstrate the competitive earning potential across the industry for those with the right skills and expertise.

These figures emphasise the critical need for partnerships like ours with Dave and Workplace Scientifics to address these kinds of gaps. By fostering training programs and mentorships, we equip professionals with necessary skills and ensure expertise is shared across the industry. This collaborative approach creates a sustainable talent pipeline for the future.

Building a Sustainable Future

At GHT, our partnerships exemplify how businesses can thrive by focusing on shared success rather than competition. For example, both GHT and WPSC develop staff internally, believing in the value of growing and nurturing talent. Together, we’ve developed training programs that blend practical and theoretical learning, mentorship opportunities to guide new industry entrants, working to address specific skill gaps in occupational hygiene and asbestos management. If every asbestos company took on one new-to-industry recruit and trained them to competency, the positive impact on the industry could be profound.

Additionally, we encourage companies to form consortia that pool resources for large-scale training initiatives, ensuring that even smaller businesses can access top-tier development programs. Sharing industry data and best practices through open forums can also help establish a unified approach to overcoming challenges. This approach isn’t just beneficial for asbestos-related work and occupational hygiene; industries like construction and occupational health could adopt these strategies to address their own recruitment gaps and training deficiencies. By sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration across sectors, we can continue to collectively strengthen our workforce and improve industry resilience.

Play your part

Let’s embrace the win-win mindset and set a new standard for how industries operate. Start by identifying areas where collaboration can complement your goals and seek out like-minded partners who share your values. For instance, consider co-developing training programmes, sharing resources to address skill shortages, or creating mentorship initiatives to nurture talent. These steps can help your business grow while contributing to the broader industry's success.

Together, we can foster an industry where businesses, employees, and clients all have the opportunity to thrive. At GHT, we are always open to conversations about potential new partnerships. Whether you are an organisation seeking collaboration or an individual looking for professional development, we offer a range of training programmes across occupational hygiene and asbestos management, tailored to meet industry demands and support long-term success.

For those interested in getting involved in the conversation or finding resources to support their efforts, organisations like BOHS, FAAM, and?OHTA?provide excellent platforms. Additionally, HSE offers regulatory guidance and updates, IATP focuses on training and accreditation for asbestos awareness, and IOSH provides resources for occupational safety and health professionals.

These organisations not only offer training and certifications but also facilitate discussions, share research, and provide tools to tackle industry-wide challenges. These groups offer training, certifications, and forums to discuss industry challenges and opportunities. By connecting with such organisations, you can stay informed, contribute to industry developments, and collaborate with like-minded professionals to address shared challenges.

Kirsty Thomas. GHT Director

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