Insulation Specialist Welcomes Technical Training for Teens

The new Prime Minister’s vision to offer technical subjects to 14-year-olds has been welcomed by Actis.

The insulation specialist says enabling teenagers to explore practical subjects and ‘the trades’ will be of immense help in tackling the sector’s skills gap.

However, the company also reiterates the importance that the routes to employment are clearly defined, that the training is delivered by suitably qualified people, and that young trainees will be accepted by a wide range of employers to ensure the plan ‘has teeth.’

Technical Training

Andy Burnham’s announcement follows many years of calls for more to be done to ensure there are sufficient skilled tradespeople within the construction industry – not least to enable the government to achieve its target of delivering 1.5 million homes within the current parliament.

The National House Building Council (NHBC), Checkatrade and the Association of Project Managers have all said that strong investment and sustained action are required to bridge the construction industry skills gap, with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) saying its members state finding skilled people is one of their biggest challenges.

To play its part, Actis is upskilling existing professionals via its RIBA-approved CPD training courses and working to inspire young people’s interest in the industry through school and college outreach sessions.

Speedier Methods

Actis’ UK and Ireland Sales Director Mark Cooper adds that in addition to training and recruiting more people, the housebuilding industry must embrace speedier construction methods to help compensate for a smaller workforce.

That means more offsite construction, which can be around 30% faster than traditional brick and block, thus increasing output capacity.

Mark explained: “Our insulation systems are used in many of these modular homes. As the products can be installed by less experienced members of the construction team, this frees up the longer serving colleagues to carry out some of the more skilled tasks.

“As they are factory built, such homes are also known to deliver more consistent quality and more effective thermal efficiency.”

>> Read more about the technical education pathways in the news