TRAINING & SKILLS
‘Knowledge is a powerful
currency’
A skilled-up construction workforce will represent a national gain, says Jayne Fergusson, operations director
at National Construction Training Services (NCTS)
‘Be prepared to learn or prepare to be
left behind’. It’s a message businesses
and employees would do well to
heed. Industries such as construction
are in a permanent state of innovation;
the development of products, practices
and materials are ongoing, therefore,
employers and their workers need to
keep pace with the evolution or risk
being overtaken by more future-thinking
companies.
Whilst traditional construction
skills such as lead working and stone
masonry will continue for decades and
endure as a valued skill in the modern
world, there can be no holding back the
digital tide. In time, there’s a chance
most building tools employed today
could be superfl uous, as infrastructure
once created by hand, is replaced using
pre-programmed machinery. However,
there will always be a need for skilled
craftspeople for existing buildings and
those still being built in historic styles.
The time is now
There is never a wrong time to learn;
teenage or middle-age, knowledge is a
powerful currency and paves the way
to career and business opportunities.
However, with technologies advancing
and the number of skilled construction
workers shrinking, there is no time
like the present to train to become a
respected and competitive force in the
construction market.
It was reported by the Chartered
Institute of Building (CIOB) earlier this
year that the number of skilled UK
construction workers had fallen to its
lowest recorded level. The situation,
it’s estimated, will worsen before it
improves – but improve it must. The
CIOB forecasts the industry will need
to fi nd an additional 157,000 recruits
to keep pace with projected building
projects.
A number of factors are attributed
to the shortage, but a main contributor
is the issue of industry retirees and
Jayne
Fergusson,
operations
director at
NCTS
leavers not being replaced. According
to the Offi ce for National Statistics,
of UK nationals working in the
construction sector, 47% are 45 or older,
compared with 18% of those born
overseas who have jobs in the industry.
Unfortunately, there is a relative dearth
of youngsters waiting to fi ll the older
generation’s boots. Convincing rookie
tradespeople to take up the tools is
becoming increasingly challenging. A
lack of vocational education and career
advice is reportedly partly to blame
for youngsters eschewing roofi ng,
engineering, carpentry and the like as
a future.
Golden ticket
For those who join the industry, it’s
not a given that training opportunities
will present themselves. Small
companies lack the resources to skillup
the workforce, although funding
is available to support the training,
particularly to those hoping to gain
an industry-recognised qualifi cation;
a ‘golden ticket’ that not only boosts
the ability and confi dence of the
holder, it provides proof of their
capability in their chosen fi eld and
contribute to the success of their
employers’ businesses.
Here, at NCTS, we are committed
to addressing the construction skills
shortage. At our specialist centre
in Hertfordshire, we provide an
outstanding level of training across
an array of roofi ng disciplines,
including lead and hard
metals; slating and tiling;
and liquid and bituminous
waterproofi ng.
In conjunction with a
candidate’s employers,
NCTS also carries out
on-site assessments.
Our comprehensive
accredited training
courses provide an
important step towards
an NVQ Level 2 and an industryrecognised
qualifi cation, and a
guaranteed future.
National gains
Aside from the material gains to be
had through training and education,
candidates who submit themselves to
learning new skills show themselves
to be committed to their profession,
particularly in relation to the quality of
their work. Ultimately, when trainees
embark on the type of training a
company such as NCTS has to offer, it
benefi ts the candidate, the employer
and the construction industry as a
whole. You might say it’s a winwin
win situation.
w www.ncts.org
“Aside from the material gains to be had through
training and education, candidates who submit
themselves to learning new skills show themselves
to be committed to their profession, particularly
in relation to the quality of their work”
16 www.rcimag.co.uk November 2018
/www.ncts.org
/www.rcimag.co.uk
