Is the UK M&E industry sleepwalking? John Miller says we can learn from the US about training for the future...
Saturday, 23rd August 2008
How much longer can the UK construction industry in general, and the M&E sector in particular, continue with the short-sighted policy of not addressing its very apparent “skills shortage”?
Whoever you may speak to, they are always suggesting that there is a shortage of good quality craftsmen. Yet, I would suggest, we are sleepwalking to the edge of a precipice, and time is definitely running out to reverse the trend of employers not training for the future.
A quick look across the Atlantic shows that in the mechanical industry, the employers and unions train together. They have a common agenda, and what’s more, they have a training fund. The fund is supported by the contribution of 10 cents per hour for every operative, which produces around $200m to meet the training requirements of their industry. Surely, we could introduce something similar? If everyone was paying a contribution to training, the playing field would be much more level and employers would have a distinct advantage to train, but the cost of doing so would be shared by the whole industry. You only need to go to one of the local or national awards ceremonies to see the talent that is available for training within our industry. At Shouksmiths, I am pleased to say that we have always done our fair share of training, and currently have round about 15% of our workforce in some form of recognised apprentice training regime. But we are just one company. I believe a nationally funded approach would help steer us away from that precipice.
