SummitSkills reveals plans for skills agreement

Following extensive research and consultation with employers, SummitSkills has completed stage three of its Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) and laid out draft action plans to address the skills needs of the building services engineering sector.

During stage one and two of the SSA project, SummitSkills gathered information and feedback from the sector on its current and future skill needs, and the training provision needed to support this. Stage three involved mapping out the issues affecting the sector and drafting solutions that will address them. From the research, five key skills priorities have arisen:

• Professional image and competence – promoting positive images of building services engineering to attract and develop a skilled, sustainable workforce;

• Communication and information – creating a knowledge centre for all sector skills development needs;

• Training provision – enabling proactive, high quality training provision that meets the sector’s priorities;

• Funding – creating a structure of flexible funding to support fast-changing skills needs;

• Management and leadership – ensuring the sector has the skills to plan and develop profitable and competitive businesses.

For each of the five priorities, SummitSkills has compiled a detailed action plan that proposes a series of sector programmes to be undertaken. It also outlines the involvement needed from employers and partners, draft timescales and the positive impact that activity will generate.

The draft action plans are now being tested out regionally and nationally to gauge opinion and response. A series of one-to-one and group negotiations will be held with stakeholders, employers, trade associations and professional bodies to discuss the proposals.

Chief executive of SummitSkills Keith Marshall said: “SummitSkills has received a very positive response from all our partners to the SSA work to date. An analysis of the sector’s skills gap has been summarised within the full stage three report, with each gap linked directly to a sector programme to redress the issues through workable solutions and realistic timescales.”