Growing numbers of young people are entering the building services sector with sub-standard reading, writing and numeracy skills, according to research carried out by SummitSkills.

According to Mike Hammond, research manager for the organisation: “There has been a degree of concern over the basic skills of new entrants to the profession… Many employers would rather take on older workers, but funding goes against this.”

The findings are part of the Horizon project, which will be used to deliver the Sector Skills agreement for the building services sector. This is the deal between employers, training providers and the government that will outline what the skills requirements are for the industry now and in the future. In exchange, the government and training providers agree to fund and deliver training tailored to this need.

So far, SummitSkills has researched the skills required for the future and the quality of training provision currently available. Between now and the end of the year employers, industry partners and stakeholders will be brought together at workshops throughout the country to address the issues that have been uncovered through the research.

Outcomes from the workshops will help formulate a final agreement for each region, which should be launched next spring.

Source

Building Sustainable Design