C OMMENT & OPINION
AN ENHANCED APPRENTICE STRATEGY FOR GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION
Carole Goodwin, Human Resources Director at Wienerberger
MUCH FOCUS FROM the media, business and government has been given to the skills shortage in the UK. With a report by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills highlighting that the UK’s hourly GDP is 30% lower than Germany and America, addressing the lack of skilled labour in the country has become a key priority for government. At Wienerberger we are excited that the government has recognised that apprenticeship schemes are pivotal to providing industry sectors with the talent they need to thrive. In the heavy clay construction industry, a strong recruitment pool of skilled workers is crucial given the mounting scrutiny facing the sector with regards to the availability and quality of housing in the UK. Research from the CITB released last month indicates that over 179,000 new workers will be needed in the industry within the next be much higher with skills gaps around the industry in areas such as mechanical maintenance, electrical engineering, engineering design and draughtsperson, ceramicists and continuous improvement managers to name but a few; all of which feed into the end product, yet start at production level. At Wienerberger, we recognise the future and apprentices are certainly the future! The problem the industry faces is unfortunately an historic one, with apprenticeships not being held in equal esteem to more academic learning. Wider changes in education policy are helping to give greater parity between academic and vocational training. With the new government apprenticeship levy set to take hold from April this year,
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we, like other businesses across the country are welcoming the need to adapt to meet government aims at boosting productivity. The changes the levy brings is predominantly with how the apprenticeships will be delivered.
A set of new ‘standards’ have been developed by industry experts and educational professionals alike. These ‘standards’ have been developed to offer attractive and high quality opportunities that will close the skills gap and produce a workforce that can actively contribute to a sustainable competitive UK workforce. This will also overall return on investment and therefore allying fears of taking on more workers without the security of knowing they can afford potential apprentices as they can not only achieve any age, but also gain real experience of the industry whilst in their role.
At Wienerberger our focus is on broadening the skillset of staff and investing in
apprentices to help realise a robust and enhanced learning and development strategy that feeds into our overall business plan. We believe that apprenticeships can be transformational for both the company and our employees alike; achieving a working life for staff that
“
With a report by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills highlighting that the UK’s hourly GDP is 30% lower than Germany and America, addressing the lack of skilled labour in the
country has become a key priority for government.”
is both rewarding and for us. We aim to see many more apprenticeship schemes across all areas of the organisation - from management and marketing to customer services and health and safety. The new government levy makes this a strategy we can more readily explore. Following on from this, we hope to see the age bracket of our apprentices broaden and apprenticeship schemes emerge as a preferred way to promote development for individuals.
Wienerberger has seen a into our various sites, past two years. With three of the current 18 apprentices set to qualify this year and an Apprentice of the Year award winner amongst our ranks, the schemes are seeing strong results and we would like to see this continue. We similarly hope to see apprenticeships thrive in the construction sector more generally, which is the best way to ensure that our industry meets the needs of society.
April 2017 BMJ
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