ECITB Develops Construction Manager Pathway
Jacobs Wins Employer Ownership of Skills funding
As the UK engineering construction industry meets an ageing and retiring workforce, the ECITB recognises a critical shortage of construction managers for the future demands of the industry.
Jacobs, a leading provider of technical, professional, and construction services, is working with ECITB to help address this skilled resource shortage.
Utilising the Governments’ Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot (Round 1), Jacobs’ UK operations led a bid for Government funding of a Construction Apprenticeship pathway. The aim of the pathway is to attract quality people into the industry and to guide qualified individuals on the path to becoming construction managers. Jacobs and ECITB are working with five training providers to implement the project.
Jacobs’ successful bid secured £2.7 million of funding for the project. The ECITB’s Research & Development team is currently working alongside Jacobs and other industry professionals to define the frameworks of the pathway. This will include the development of three Construction Apprenticeships which include Construction Design, Construction Control and Construction Build.
To meet expansion demands and bring new talent through to replace retirees, the UK engineering construction industry is expected to need 60,000 people to enter the industry over the next ten years. It is the ECITB’s remit to build the capacity and capability of the workforce through working in partnership to develop new programmes, to secure skills now and for the future.
Ian Muscroft, Manager of Professional Development at Jacobs, commented: “To address the anticipated demand in our industry, it’s vital that we educate and encourage people to consider careers in construction, engineering, science, and related fields. We’re very excited about this initiative, and we welcome the opportunity to work closely with educators such as ECITB and other industry professionals to help new talent develop the right skills and recognise the tremendous opportunities available in the industry.”
The first cohort of 60 apprentices will commence their learning experience in September 2013. Forty of these apprentices will be employed by Jacobs and the rest will come from other employers across the industry. The pathway will guide the apprentices through both off-site learning and on-the-job training and development; over three to four years, they will learn the necessary skills to become construction co-ordinators and then construction managers.
A construction manager is critical to the success of any infrastructure or industrial project. However big or small the project, the role of the construction manager requires a broad range of skills to co-ordinate all activities and ensure plans become a reality.
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About the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board
The ECITB is the statutory and charitable body set up to secure engineering construction skills now and for the future. It has delivered training successfully to over one million learners over 20 years, and is led and funded by employers from the industry, ensuring the services are relevant and fit for purposeThe ECITB provides professional advice, information, skills development and qualifications to help individuals in engineering construction and anyone interested in a career in the industry to succeed. A dedicated website has been set up to provide more detailed information http://careers.ecitb.org.uk/ The ECITB sets a range of occupational and training standards, awards industry specific qualifications and invests £20 million each year in support of apprentices and adult learners across a range of skills. From entry level craft and technician programmes through to advanced engineering project management skills. In 2011, 65,000 people were supported through the ECITB’s range of approved programmes delivered by a network of over 200 approved providers. The ECITB strategy is built on three objectives, these are to attract , develop and qualify talented people for the industry. The ECITB operating processes that secure the depth, breadth and quality of service are: employer engagement, identification of skills needs and priorities, stakeholder and provider engagement, delivery and continuous improvement. The ECITB provides support to employers, their employees and apprentices to design, build, maintain and decommission nuclear, power, pharmaceutical, renewables, chemicals, food, water, oil & gas facilities and other processes.
For more information visit www.ecitb.org.uk
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