On the case: Some training examples from the industry’s shining stars

Young blood

To meet the challenges identified in the Sector Skills Agreement, Haden Young and its partners Liverpool Community College and John Moores University have developed a new foundation degree, which allows Haden Young trainees to achieve a BSc qualification within the four-year training programme.

It sports a number of innovative features including specialist routes for engineers and commercial trainees within a common programme. The degree also includes a final-year module in sustainable building services. The programme developed has been seen as an exemplar and the basis for a national model.

Haden Young’s learning and development manager Roy Bowdler is supportive of SummitSkills and its aims.

“Haden Young has been committed to training throughout its long history. Now we are meeting ever more complex needs with technological solutions and need our training to keep up with this evolution. We’ve worked with SummitSkills and contributed to the development of the Sector Skills Agreement.

“The work of SummitSkills outlined in the agreement will increase the numbers and quality of people available at a crucial time. Keith Marshall and his team at SummitSkills deserve the support of all in the industry.“

Breaking the mould

Training provider JTL has been making positive moves to encourage more employers to recruit females into the building services engineering sector with Breaking the Mould, a one-off project to improve the employment and training opportunities available to females aged 16 to 24 from South Yorkshire.

The scheme is jointly funded by JTL and the European Social Fund and is specifically for women who wish to embark on a career in building services engineering via Advanced Apprenticeships in electrical installation, plumbing and engineering maintenance.

Tilen Electrics is committed to training and currently employs 20 JTL apprentices on the electrical installation programme.

When approached by JTL, managing director David Humberstone recruited three women apprentices and hasn’t looked back.

“They are three young women from different backgrounds and with different reasons for wanting to become apprentices with us. What they have in common, however, is their ability to do the job and a motivation to do well in their chosen career,” says Humberstone.

Tilen already had policies in place for addressing equality and diversity issues. The move made good business sense, as broadening the selection of recruits has resulted in a better standard of apprentice.

“We were pleased with the quality of their applications, and they were recruited totally on merit. Their progress, both at college and at work, has been brilliant. Many people working with them have had their misconceptions about employing females challenged.”

Well connected

When the City and County of Swansea council felt it needed to attract a broader range of young people into the industry, it launched the Construction Connection Programme – a Saturday morning trade school which links schools directly into the department’s apprenticeship programme.

It enables the authority to target a range of 16 to 17-year-olds by allowing them to taste the various trades on offer before coming to an informed decision on their future career paths.

So far the programme has been a big success. A total of 102 pupils have completed it, and female interest has increased from no girls attending the first two courses to 15% representation by course six.

It has also built on this project by kicking off the Work Related Education Programme (WREP), which results in school placements across the electrical and mechanical industries for one day per week over a period of 12 months.

City and County of Swansea chief executive Paul Smith said: “Not only does this approach support our workforce to deliver services to a higher standard, it also prepares for the future, and will reap rewards in attracting the best individuals to forge their careers with us in the years ahead”

Bailey leads the way

NG Bailey’s chief executive Mark Andrews talks leadership and innovation.

“We recognise the importance of leadership training, and have invested a large amount of resource into our first-line managers, with initiatives such as our site supervisors programme.

“We believe the challenge will be engaging with young people to improve the professional image of our industry. We have undertaken a lot of work to attract young people and under-represented groups by working with schools.

“Our Construction Simulation model delivers four workshops that are focused on interactive learning and practical experience of construction sector methods of working.

“Above all, we feel it’s important that qualifications keep pace with the industry, and that SummitSkills acts as the gatekeeper of these. While at NG Bailey we have the resources at hand to assess the quality of training on offer, not all companies have this.

“We feel very strongly that SummitSkills has an important role to play as the custodian of occupational standards for our sector.”