Siderise implement StaffCircle to bring competency, development and succession into one system
Siderise has spent over 50 years engineering the passive fire protection and acoustic insulation that keeps high-rise buildings safe — from its manufacturing base in Wales to projects across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia Pacific and the US.
We spoke to Gemma Littlejohns, Learning & Development Business Partner at Siderise, to find out how a specialist manufacturer moved from competency data spread across multiple systems to one connected view of competency, development and succession.
Where they startedManaging competency across too many moving parts
In a business where demonstrable competence is part of the product, Siderise needed a single place to hold competency requirements, development activity and training records — rather than the multiple processes and systems the team had inherited.
Competency spread across systems
Competency and development activity lived in multiple processes and systems, rather than one connected view.
Hard to stay consistent
With activity spread so widely, maintaining a consistent approach — and tracking progress against it — was a constant challenge.
Limited visibility for managers
Leaders had no straightforward way to see what their people needed, making it harder to support development in the moment.
No single source of truth
Siderise needed one place that brought competency, development and training together.
One platform for competency, development and succession
Siderise chose StaffCircle for its flexibility — the ability to align individual goals and development plans while managing competency in a single system, rather than bolting another point solution onto the stack.
“StaffCircle stood out because of its flexibility and its ability to align individual goals and development plans, while giving us a more effective way to manage competency within a single system.”
Competency management
Every competency requirement lives in one system, not spread across spreadsheets and legacy tools.
Career pathways
Employees can see clear routes for progression and access the development opportunities that get them there.
Skills gap dashboard
Clear visibility of capability gaps, so learning programmes can be targeted rather than generic.
Succession planning
A talent pipeline that’s visible and plannable, not just reactive when a role becomes vacant.
Objectives & reviews
Ongoing competency conversations, tracked in the same place as everything else — not a once-a-year appraisal.
Training records
Learning activity is easy to track and report on, supporting compliance as well as development.
From fragmented tracking to one structured view
Since rolling out StaffCircle in June 2025, Siderise has moved from piecing competency data together after the fact to seeing it clearly, continuously, in one place.
- ✓A more structured, consistent approach to competency management
- ✓Managers have greater visibility of development objectives and progress against competency requirements
- ✓Employees have clearer development plans
- ✓Learning activity is easier to track and report on, supporting compliance as well as development
- ✓Capability gaps are identified early rather than after the fact
- ✓A stronger, better-supported talent pipeline for succession planning
Targeted learning instead of generic training
Clear visibility of capability gaps lets Siderise plan targeted learning programmes, monitor completion rates and support compliance — while giving employees an easy way to see and access relevant career development opportunities.
What Gemma Littlejohns told us about the journey so far
“StaffCircle stood out because of its flexibility and its ability to align individual goals and development plans, while providing a more effective approach to managing competency within a single system.”
“The skills gap dashboard and career pathway functionality are particularly valuable to us — they provide clear visibility of capability gaps and help employees easily access relevant career development opportunities.”
“We make extensive use of the objectives and performance review features to facilitate ongoing competency management, meaningful development conversations, and the continuous growth of our people.”
“Focus on the outcomes you want to achieve and how you want leaders and employees to engage with performance and development. StaffCircle provides a flexible platform that can grow with your organisation and helps bring competency, performance and development together in a practical way.”
Ready to bring competency, performance and development together?
Book a personalised demo and see the skills gap dashboard, career pathways and reviews in one place.