BUILD FOCUS: HIGHER EDUCATION
BUILD FOCUS:
HIGHER EDUCATION
This month, we shine a light on the well-documented skills gap in the construction industry and explore how newfound qualifications are aiming to attract the next generation of contractors, builders, roofers and other construction professionals to choose our sector in a post-COVID realm. Here, Apex Roofing’s Jackie Biswell explores how T-levels are planning to attract and retain future leaders in the field of construction.
All images: Apex Roofing
JACKIE BISWELL MANAGING DIRECTOR OF APEX ROOFING
T-LEVELS: PLUGGING THE SKILLS GAP Here, Jackie Biswell, Managing Director of Apex Roofing, explores the role these vocational qualifications will play in construction recovery post-COVID and plugging the skills gap that has plagued the industry for years. APEX ROOFING
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recent survey of tradespeople revealed that 78% think it’s crucial the industry recruits more apprentices, with 57% believing they are currently underutilised. It’s not surprising that those already in the workforce want some extra help. After all, they are the ones who have to deal with the impact of the ongoing skills gap – the result of high demand and not a lot of capacity to fulfil it. This was the result of contraction caused by the 2007 recession followed by a vast number of stalwarts reaching retirement age and a lack of new blood coming into the industry – a consequence of the poor image of construction as a viable career path and no education on the opportunities available to school-leavers. FC&A – NOVEMBER – 2020
Enter the T-levels These have been designed as new two-year courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to three A-levels and were developed in collaboration with employers and businesses to meet the needs of the industry. They involve a mixture of classroom learning and ‘onthe-job’ experience which is ideal for our sector where hands-on learning can be the most effective. But they have had to leap a number of hurdles to come to fruition – the most recent of which has been the coronavirus outbreak. 28
A number of providers due to teach the first T-levels delayed delivery for at least a year due to the coronavirus pandemic – and one pulled out altogether. However, Skills Minister Gillian Keegan pushed forward with the remaining 44 providers to launch T-levels from September 2020 because “we owe it to these young people to find ways to continue to deliver the courses that they have chosen and that will offer them great progression opportunities”. They also hugely benefit the construction industry, which will largely rely on this technical education to create the skilled workforce of the future. There have been concerns raised that the new measures might threaten to overshadow established apprenticeships, but I would argue that offering a wider range of vocational sectors can only be a good thing.
