Building a new approach to construction training

Citation

(2003), "Building a new approach to construction training", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445hab.008

Building a new approach to construction training

Building a new approach to construction training

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have committed £400 million next year to transforming the planning of training and skills development for the construction industry. The two bodies, together with the sector skills development agency (SSDA), are working together to re-examine priorities as part of what will become a new sector-skills agreement – the first to be announced as a result of the government’s national skills strategy.

Under the new strategy, employers are invited to work with lead government agencies to identify the key actions needed to meet skill needs within their industries, and in particular those that will improve business performance. The agreements will provide a basis for employers to influence the content and delivery of publicly funded training, to improve the relevance and accessibility of learning provision and to identify collaborative action they can take to maintain and improve the skills base in their sectors. The agreements will set out a shared set of priorities and a jointly resourced plan to address them.

Heading the design and delivery work in the construction sector will be the national construction forum, a new body that is representative of both industry and the public sector. Membership will include the Construction Industry Training Board, other representatives of employers and employees, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department for Education and Skills, the Learning and Skills Council and the SSDA. This work with the construction industry will provide the first steps towards setting up the new sector agreement approach, exploring the scope and potential for a series of public-private partnerships to drive up skill levels and business performance across industry sectors.

The current programme of work being developed by CITB and the LSC, with the backing of the government, will aim to formulate an agreement that will ensure:

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  improved targeting of public and employer-funded resources totalling in excess of £400 million related to construction skills;

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  a better match between the demand for skills and training supply; and

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  qualifications and training programmes that are fit for purpose and meet the changing needs of the sector, driven by industry-defined national occupational standards.

The construction agreement and its associated delivery plan will inform and be informed by regional and local planning arrangements, and so provide a planning framework that will support a co-ordinated national approach across the sector. The contents of the agreement will be reviewed and the planning cycle repeated on an annual basis.