Skills in the UK Construction Industry | Construction News

CSCS changes cards to encourage worker upskilling

Charlotte Banks — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:52:42 +0000

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has announced changes to its unskilled worker certification in a bid to encourage site operatives to take up training. Executive director of operations Gary Mortimer said reducing how long Labourer cards are valid would encourage new industry entrants to…

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Revealed: 15,000 IA cardholders not signed up for replacements

Ian Weinfass — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:45:42 +0000

Some 15,000 workers who hold Industry Accreditation (IA) have not yet switched to different cards, Construction News can reveal. IA cards, also known as grandfather rights, are Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards gained through employer recommendation. It was announced in March 2019 that the…

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ECITB predicts budget deficit

Charlotte Banks — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 11:48:53 +0000

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has projected it will spend more than it earns for the third year in a row, despite a slight levy increase. The charity, which coordinates training for engineering trades across the UK, projects a £2.2m budget deficit in…

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Labour pains: Who will deliver government growth plans?

Colin Marrs — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 09:27:22 +0000

This year, the Labour Party’s annual conference played host to 29 fringe events containing the word “housing” in the title. A further seven mentioned the word “infrastructure”. In crowded rooms across the conference zone on Liverpool’s dockside, delegates crammed in to hear the new army…

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New skills body eyes ‘considerable expansion’ of MMC

Ian Weinfass — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:37:23 +0000

Skills England has said the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) could be “expanded considerably” to help tackle labour shortages. The government’s new quango, set up to bring together different parts of the “fractured” skills system, released a report this week that highlights challenges…

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Building 1.5 million homes: great, but where are the workers?

Contributor — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 09:41:42 +0000

Haman Manak is the procurement director at Stanmore For the past 18 months, we’ve all felt the effects of the economic headwinds. Under the tough, high interest rate climate, some well-known peers went insolvent – and activity stats across our sector have looked abnormally meagre.…

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Report: apprenticeships are construction firms’ main source of social value

Chris Smith — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:00:36 +0000

Apprenticeships are the biggest source of social value for construction firms, according to new research. An analysis of 329 construction contracts with a combined value of £3.2bn concluded that they had delivered £860m worth of social value for the firms delivering them. The report by…

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Electrical firms frustrated by skill levels of trainees

Ian Weinfass — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 10:27:18 +0000

Unqualified applicants are routinely applying for jobs at engineering services firms, a survey has revealed. Nearly half of the electrotechnical and engineering services businesses questioned said candidates are consistently applying for jobs even though they lack sufficient knowledge or skills. The quarterly Building Engineering Business…

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T-level results ‘do not paint a positive picture’, warns Farmer

Chris Smith — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:45:15 +0000

This year’s T-level results for construction courses were “not positive” and showed a marginalised career pathway, according to an industry leader on training issues. Mark Farmer said that although the latest results showed an increase in students taking construction training courses and an improved pass…

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Pitching to the next generation

Ian Weinfass — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 08:47:54 +0000

A project that challenges young people to design stadiums is helping build bridges to a career in the built environment Ninety 12- and 13-year-olds used a skills outreach event in London to pitch their designs for new football stadiums to professionals from the likes of…

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