10 NEWS FEATURE; INDUSTRY NEWS
IN THE SPACE OF A FEW WEEKS, EUROPE BECAME THE WORLD’S LEADING EXPORTER OF SAWN SOFTWOOD
are doing all they can to alleviate short- ages, but it will still be some time before we are back to steady levels of supply. Homebuilders therefore need to work collaboratively with roofing contractors to plan ahead, build in lead times, factor in price rises and ensure flexibility in contracts.”
THE 2021 PROGNOSIS
The availability of timber construction products is likely to get worse before it gets better, according to a recent statement by the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Product Availability Group. SR Timber noted that even if sawn wood production is able to meet European demand, thanks to abundant forestry, it will take “longer than usual” to meet orders already received, while rebuilding minimum stock levels in sawmills.
Contractors are having to plan material
supply further and further in advance, to assist suppliers in efforts to meet forecast demand volumes. The group says that last minute shortages affect production time, with further cost impacts due to the need for alternative sourcing.
In many cases, the rising prices plus the additional costs involved in dealing with material shortages will be “unsus- tainable if the burden is not shared,” says the group, endangering short term housing supply.
All the firms agree that the roofing and housebuilding industries “must come together” to address this challenge to ensure that the industry can deliver the homes Britain needs.
A new ‘Training Hub’ in the West Midlands has been unveiled by the NHBC, intended to help “develop the next gener- ation of skilled tradespeople starting out in housebuilding.” The NHBC Training Hub in Tamworth has been built in partnership with Redrow and Tamworth Borough Council, with input from an industry working group. The Hub, which was officially opened on 20 May, is intended to support more than 100 apprentices annually in a purpose-built facility that will “immerse apprentices in a realistic working environ- ment,” said NHBC.
Bricklaying has been chosen by NHBC as the initial focus for the Training Hub, “due to the shortage of skilled bricklayers in the housebuilding sector, which has been compounded by the pandemic.” The first cohort of new apprentices were welcomed to the facility on Monday 24 May, beginning an 18-month
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programme delivered through “concen- trated blocks of training, focusing apprentices on the key skills needed in housebuilding.” The NHBC added that the training’s modular nature “means that, after only a few weeks, apprentices will be able to contribute positively on active sites.”
Speaking at the opening, NHBC chief executive Steve Wood said: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to launch the new Hub. NHBC is addressing vital skills’ gaps in the industry and providing brand new employment opportunities for young people.” Wood added: “Our commitment to developing the next generation of housebuilders aligns with the Government’s ‘Build Back Better’ campaign to support economic growth, and I look forward to seeing many apprentices successfully pass through the Training Hub in the coming years.”
NHBC launches training hub for construction trades
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