Army leavers would make great trainers


BESA is urging military engineers transitioning to civilian life to consider becoming trainers, assessors and building safety auditors.


W


ith engineering and construction-related businesses reporting huge shortages of suitably trained people able to fi ll their


widening skills gaps, the Association is reaching out to army leavers in a bid to address the critical shortage of apprenticeship trainers and assessors that continues to undermine the delivery of building services courses. It is urging them to consider signing up to BESA’s


fully funded Skills Legacy programme which was launched this year with the aim of recruiting 100 trainers and assessors to help further education (FE) providers deliver more building services apprenticeships. BESA’s nationwide scheme is bringing together


employers and training providers to create a pathway for anyone with the right skills, experience and qualifi cations to become a trainer or assessor


qualifi ed to a Level 3 Certifi cate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). It will also train engineers to become qualifi ed building safety auditors in line with the ISO 9001 management standard to help the industry cope with new competence requirements created by the Building Safety Act.


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BESA NEWS ANALYSIS Solution


“68% of UK employers struggled to fi nd skilled workers in the past year, with the shortfall costing businesses a collective £4.4 billion,” said BESA’s head of competence Stuart Rattray. “Yet there is an often-overlooked solution hiding in plain sight in the shape of highly trained people leaving our armed forces. “They represent a rich and largely untapped pool


of skilled, dedicated professionals who bring with them a wealth of transferable skills, discipline, and a proven ability to thrive in high-pressure environments,” he added. “However, as well as being ideal direct recruits into the built environment workforce, they can also be rapidly re-trained to help our colleges deliver more of the specialist courses we so desperately need.” Army leavers have a range of technical and


leadership skills developed in challenging situations which gives them the attributes needed to become trainers, assessors and building safety auditors. They are used to working under pressure, adapting to new technologies and environments quickly, and delivering results against tight deadlines – and, while many can be recruited directly into the sector’s workforce, BESA is keen to encourage others to focus on training up the next generation of building engineers.


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