New arrangements for the training of adults in the Building Industry

Abstract

The Government, through its Ministers and Ministry spokesmen, as well as in its official reports and published plans, has committed itself to the reform of both apprenticeship and adult training. A new joint initiative was started in early 1981 through the combined efforts of the Construction Industry Training Board and certain firms and organisations in the Building Industry. Towards the end of 1982 it will be possible to evaluate whether the scheme has been a success. This and other initiatives of a similar nature are beginning to build up a new pattern in this industry which will be of interest to other industries. One of the topics receiving a good deal of publicity in recent years has been the training and retraining of adults, and the present unemployment situation has placed an even greater emphasis on this aspect of the work of a trainer. For the first time, the Building Industry has turned its attention to taking in adults as new entrants into the industry in addition to the traditional 16‐year‐old apprentice. This initiative has created a good deal of interest and it raises a number of interesting points from the training point of view. There is nothing new about training adults, schemes have been offered in Government Training Centres for years and many courses have been run in Colleges of Further Education for adults who were prepared to extend their skill and knowledge. It is often forgotten that many people in all walks of life, sometimes even subconsciously, are continuously up‐dating their skills and knowledge or even learning new jobs. Whether it be new products or the latest technology, many have to learn as part of their everyday activities. In some cases training needs are confused with changes in processes or techniques, and a check list rather than a training programme is often all that may be required. It is important to consider these aspects before responding to initiatives and consultative documents which are sometimes developed as the result of circumstances other than a training need. The real danger must be training people for jobs which do not exist, where there is insufficient work available to support the numbers being trained. Adult training can be broadly grouped into two categories: • The need to train (or retrain) adults in the basic skills of a new trade • The need to provide wider opportunities for trained people to increase or up‐date their skills and knowledge throughout their working life. This article concentrates on the first of these, as the attitude towards adult new entrants has changed a great deal in the Building Industry over the past two years.

Citation

(1982), "New arrangements for the training of adults in the Building Industry", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 14 No. 7, pp. 226-230. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb003893