August 2020

The Apex: Skills Issues
SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS & RECOVERY
Jackie Biswell, Managing Director of Apex Roofing, explains why vocational qualifications
are so important to the construction sector and discusses the current barriers to adoption
of vocational training programmes for some businesses in construction.
On the 14th July, central government
announced a new package of measures
for higher technical education which will
build on its previous efforts to transform technical
and vocational education in Britain.
Designed to help plug the skills gap, these
measures are welcomed by the construction sector
which has long suffered from a skills shortage.
These reforms build on work already underway
including the introduction of new T-Levels from
September, working with employers to create more
high quality apprenticeship opportunities and
establishing a network of Institutes of Technology.
These are expected to play a key part in helping to
rebuild the economy post-COVID-19, boosting
access to technical education for many young
people and creating the skilled workforce of the
future.
T-Level trade-off?
But do the new measures threaten to overshadow
established apprenticeships? There is a school of
thought that T-Levels, especially, may impact the
number of apprenticeships that employers offer.
Causing a trade-off situation between T-Level
placements and apprenticeships.
There is some merit to this, as within smaller
organisations there may be a lack of willingness to
offer T-Level placements and continue with the
same level of apprenticeship placements, especially
during a recession.
Yet it could also be argued that offering a wider
range of vocational sectors can only be a good thing.
One of the most notable elements of the new
measures is that it puts employers in the driving
seat, ensuring that the courses on offer meet their
needs.
Vocational schemes, such as apprenticeships, have
in the past been criticised for not
delivering the candidates and the
skills needed for specific sectors.
These new measures should change
this.
Offering young people more options when it
comes to higher education is essential to making
sure that our skilled sectors, such as roofing, retain
key skills and have a steady intake of young talent.
But increased competition for placements with
employers requires closer consideration of student
and employer conduct. It can be said that in the
construction sector particularly, ‘talent stealing’ of
newly qualified apprentices is a prevalent issue.
One company invests in training up the apprentices
and then when they are qualified, a competitor
offers them a more attractive salary or benefits
package to leave their current employer.
Any business that has had this happen to them will
know that it makes you question whether the
investment of time and resources in training these
young people is worth it if they are going to take
their skills elsewhere.
I believe that as T-levels are going to be phased in
over the next two years, there needs to be some
consideration by central government to stop this
from happening.
We need some sort of collaborative code of
conduct within each sector for vocational
education programmes that encourages loyalty
among employers and students. By encouraging
students to stay with the company that trained
them for a set period of time, the student is
guaranteed job security following qualification and
the businesses that trained them benefits from their
skills. This may not be practical, but I feel very
strongly that some consideration for the issue is
Left: Jackie Biswell, Apex Roofing.
warranted. It is one of the key barriers
in our sector to participating with
vocational training schemes. And if
companies like ours don’t want to take
on vocational students because of this
issue, it widens the skills gap even further.
Guidance for employers and students
We’d also like to see training providers working
more closely with the employers to guide students
through the training process. One thing that has
been greatly lacking in the current apprenticeship
schemes is training providers that communicate
well with employers and offer guidance not just to
the student, but to the employer too about how to
help candidates learn what is required for them to
do well.
In Apex’s experience, it has been left to the
candidate to bridge the communication gap
between employer and course which is less than
ideal, and we have often had to step in and
proactively update them so that the pressure is
taken off of the student. I hope that this new focus
on employer-led standards should serve to change
both issues.
There is no doubt that higher technical
qualifications will provide a natural progression
route for young people taking new T-Levels from
2020, or A Levels, and adults looking to upskill or
retrain, enabling them to take the next step up
and gain higher technical skills in key subjects
like STEM, something which can only help this
country out of the current skills crisis.
Contact Apex Roofing
01502 537129
www.apexroofinguk.com
@ApexAnglia
14 TC AUGUST 2020