BESA NEWS ANALYSIS
Manly Trust backs BESA ‘skills legacy’ scheme
A scheme launched by the Building Engineering Services Association to tackle a critical shortage of trainers and assessors is to receive signifi cant fi nancial backing from a leading charitable trust
B
ESA aims to recruit 100 trainers, assessors and building safety auditors through its Skills Legacy programme to plug an alarming gap
that it says threatens to “leave the building services industry unable to train and assess new entrants to the sector or cope with increasing scrutiny of its safety processes following the Grenfell tragedy”. The Manly Trust, which has been supporting charities that work with young people and create opportunities through engineering training for 34 years, will fully fund the fi rst 50 candidates who complete the assessment process. “This is a game changing development for this crucial industry initiative,” said BESA’s head of skills & policy Stuart Rattray. “The shortage of trainers and assessors is a serious barrier to the recruitment and development of the next generation of engineers, so this generous funding from the Manly Trust could have a huge impact on the future of our industry.” The Association said its Skills Legacy programme aimed to recruit experienced engineers motivated to give something back to their industry by passing on their expertise to help the further education (FE) sector meet growing demand from employers.
Competence
The scheme will also recruit building safety auditors to help the industry cope with new competence
requirements created by the Building Safety Act. The Manly Trust was founded in 1991 by
former BESA and CIBSE President Graham Manly in memory of his father Alfred Manly to provide fi nancial assistance to charities that provide opportunities for young people in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and help advance engineering education. It has since provided more than £1.8 million in funding through grants made to more than 130 diff erent charities and causes. A G Manly & Company, based in Wandsworth,
was founded in 1948 and became one of the largest independent building services engineering fi rms in the UK. Graham joined the company in 1972 and became managing director 10 years later. The company was sold to Gratte Brothers in 2002. Both Alfred and Graham served as presidents of the Heating & Ventilating Contractors Association (now BESA). Graham was also President of CIBSE in 2004 and was awarded an OBE for his contribution to building services engineering in 2012. He died in 2019.
“My father championed many causes throughout
his 40-year career but had a particular passion for supporting young engineers through education, training, and career development,” said Graham’s son David Manly, who is a trustee. “He set up the Trust to make sure this support
would continue. Causes like BESA’s Skills Legacy programme are exactly the sort of initiatives he envisioned as they work towards developing and promoting future generations of building services engineers.” BESA said the scheme should give FE colleges and other education providers greater reassurance that building engineering training courses would be supported. The lack of appropriately qualifi ed people to deliver and assess training and apprenticeship schemes means the sector is regarded as ‘high risk’ by FE providers leading to a shortage of training capacity nationwide. “Our workforce is ageing and is already under intense pressure,” said Rattray. “The average age across construction related sectors is 53 so without a dramatic increase in numbers of young people coming in, a labour force crunch is looming. “However, simply improving recruitment will not
address the fundamental problems we face. Unless we address the shortage of trainers and assessors who can deliver programmes, the industry will be unable to meet demand within a few short years.”
Pathway
BESA’s nationwide scheme is bringing together employers, represented by the Association, and the FE sector to provide 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).
Those seeking to become qualifi ed building safety
auditors will be assessed in line with the ISO 9001 management standard. “However, this goes beyond just working for your
local FE college,” said Rattray. “Employers also benefi t from having trades assessors and auditors in-house for a variety of assessment requirements, including the new safety regime. “End Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs)
are always looking for qualifi ed assessors and quality assurance personnel, as are private training providers. So, individuals have lots of diff erent ways to ‘give something back’ that will be of premium value to the industry and themselves.” Training to become an assessor/trainer will be
delivered by the FE provider via a ‘hybrid’ remote and in-person format. BESA is also developing an assessor register and will work with educators and employers to celebrate those who complete the programme before embarking on their crucial role helping a new generation of apprentices. For more information about joining this vital
initiative, visit
https://www.thebesa.com/skills- and-training/skills-legacy-assessor, and more information about the Manly Trust can be found at
https://manlytrust.uk www.theBESA.com
8
May 2025
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