The Skills Priorities
Sector gets creative in solving skills issues
SummitSkills completed Stage 1 of its Sector Skills Agreement ‘Horizon’ project last week with a prestigious and creative conference that informed delegates of progress to date and gathered views on how to move forwards.
Held on 07 March at One Great George Street in Westminster, representatives from all four countries of the UK attended the event to hear key research findings from Dr Mike Hammond. A major issue affecting the sector is the impending surge in the specification of environmental technologies and the UK’s lack of skills to install and maintain this equipment.
“Already UK contracts for renewable energy installation are going to overseas firms,” said Dr Hammond. “We are simply insufficiently skilled and unprepared for the demands that the increased requirement for environmental technology is going to bring.”
Other themes included the lack of strategic business planning by firms in the sector and how to encourage more employers to recruit and train. Sir Michael Latham, chair of the Joint Major Contractors’ Group, gave a keynote address to highlight the importance of all employers getting involved in the Sector Skills Agreement, from the smallest firm to the largest.
After each of the three research presentations, delegates were able to discuss the various issues and devise creative ideas about how to solve them. These suggestions will be included as part of SummitSkills’ action planning process as the final Sector Skills Agreement is devised.
Diane Johnson is a director of electrical contracting firm Eric Johnson of Northwich and a board member of SummitSkills. She was inspired by the conference and wants other employers to take notice of the project: “This was a superb event which dealt with the relevant problems facing the sector today,” she said. “The whole event was hosted in a professional manner, leading to a productive and worthwhile outcome. I would urge all businesses to play a part in the Sector Skills Agreement.”
A Sector Skills Agreement is ultimately a deal between employers, training providers and government. Employers lay out what their workforce and skills requirements are now and in the future. In return, the government and providers agree to fund and deliver training tailored to this need, within government policy, providing employers are also willing to make a commitment.
“We now move onto Stage 2 of the process, which involves looking at the current training provision across the sector, assess its suitability and make recommendations for beneficial change,” explained Keith Marshall, SummitSkills’ chief executive. “At this stage it’s also vital to get views across the whole of the sector to ensure the final Sector Skills Agreement is fit for purpose.”
For more information on the Sector Skills Agreement call 01908 303960 or to register your interest in getting involved on the Horizon website registration page.