One of the Federation of Master Builders most active campaigns is in tackling what is now recognised as a skills crisis. Professional Builder’s Lee Jones talks to Kisiel Group’s Annie Summun about what both the London-based contractor and the trade body are doing to address the problem.
“Training has always been my passion,” declares Annie, “and the construction industry skills crisis has made it such a crucial issue.” That commitment to the cause is underscored by multiple roles as an FMB Director, Chair of the Organisation’s Training Group and Chair of a Trailblazer Group for a new General Builder apprenticeship standard. As well as that, as Director of Public Affairs at Kisiel Group, Annie is part of a team with a worthy record of nurturing the next generation.
The FMB Training Group consists of representatives from the trade body’s membership, as well as colleges, CITB and the Department for Education. It can communicate advice and support to those members, as well exploring initiatives that could encourage builders to take on young people, and make it easier for more of them to do so. Moreover, it also supports individuals in becoming ambassadors and visit schools, whilst one member recently recorded a successful video on training an apprentice.
Annie outlines some of the practical measures the group is exploring: “A common lament we hear is that it’s very difficult for a time-poor tradesperson to find an apprentice and access the grants that are available – and there is no doubt that the system needs to be simplified. One of the recommendations from the group is to make liaison officers compulsory in every FE college, for example, so that they are a point of contact and support for potential employers in that area. Although the amount of money is limiting, I have direct experience of applying for the Skills & Training Fund for Kisiel Group, which exists to upskill an existing workforce, and the FMB Training Group can promote these financial aids.
“It is a fact that there is no one resource that companies who are interested in training can tap into, but we can feed back to the FMB itself and they can help signpost what’s out there and where to access it. SMEs currently train over 70 per cent of apprentices so it’s vital that we give smaller firms all the help that they need.”
In addition a Trailblazer Group is bringing a new qualification to the industry that could have real benefits for a building business: “Every FMB member I speak to is very supportive of the idea of the General Builder apprenticeship standard we’re working on,” continues Annie. “For a smaller company, having an employee who has a knowledge and understanding of two or three roles on site could be invaluable, and the current proposal is for the apprenticeship to cover the basics in bricklaying, plastering, painting & decorating and carpentry.”
So what are the reasons for where we are with the skills crisis? And what are the underlying causes of what is fast becoming a chronic shortage of labour? “Cleary more needs to be done by both government and industry to champion construction as a viable career for ambitious young people, and the status of the sector in our education system needs to be addressed. I was told first-hand of how an FMB member was asked to promote the building industry to a group of young people in a school. He gave a really impassioned presentation, and the teacher followed it up by explaining to the audience that if they don’t work hard for their exams that’s they job they would end up with!
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“That might be an extreme example but it’s all too symptomatic of the attitude of many of our educators. It’s about changing perceptions, with a spirit of collaboration and partnership between parents, schools, training providers, industry and Whitehall to explain the hugely diverse range of available careers. Only 2 per cent of the total number of tradespeople on site are women, for example. The only way you’ll increase that number is with inspirational female role models, whilst more work needs to be done to welcome ethnic minorities.”
In recent years, the FMB has become an enthusiastic advocate for a mandatory licencing scheme in construction. One of the consequences of such an initiative could well be to convince those with a negative impression of the industry that it actually enjoys a set of standards and a status that compares favourably with any other profession. At the same time Annie believes that more should be done to communicate just how rewarding training can be. Not only can a skilled and experienced employer have the satisfaction of passing on their knowledge to an eager learner, but there is the added reassurance for a company in instructing a staff member in the right way to work.
Encouragingly, the most recent figures for apprenticeship starts has seen an increase. Not only that but some larger companies are passing on what they have left from the Apprenticeship Levy to smaller companies. In London, for example, the London Progression Collaboration links these larger organisations with SMEs. In order to retain its skilled staff, multi-award winning Kisiel Group is committed to upskilling its workforce. The south-east based contractor and property developer also has an active ‘Developing Talent Internship Programme’ and is currently in the process of expanding it apprenticeship numbers. It is an example that more businesses need to follow because a historically inadequate level of training is pushing us inexorably towards a tipping point.
“I do believe we’re on a cliff-edge,” concludes Annie. “23 per cent of the current workforce is over 55 – and it’s estimated that the sector will lose up to 800,000 people to retirement over the next ten-fifteen years. At the same time, we will need 266,000 new workers by 2026 just to meet our projected commitments to sustainability. If the government wants to deliver on new homes and improvements to our existing housing stock, these are numbers that have to be improved.”
For further information on skills and training initiatives from the FMB visit https://www.fmb.org.uk/
For further information on Kisiel Group visit https://kisiel.co.uk/
