BESA launches skills service department

A new skills and policy department has been launched by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) to address the major training and recruitment challenges faced by the sector.

A team of skills and policy specialists will focus on improving the industry’s approach to apprenticeships, work closely with the further education sector to beef up training provision and skills development, while also providing more direct support to member companies to address their specific skills requirements through Skills Health Checks.

The new department has been created following 18 months of in-depth research into the needs of the sector. This highlighted the sheer scale of the chronic skills shortage which BESA says is hampering business growth and the industry’s ability to improve building performance.

As a result, the new skills and policy team have also been tasked with driving improvements in industry standards, policies and regulations around skills.

Chief Executive Officer, David Frise said: “Our members continually refer to skills shortages as the biggest barrier to growing their businesses, delivering vital building upgrade projects and meeting the country’s ambitions to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment.

“It was, as ever, a major talking point at last week’s BESA Annual Conference with the shortage of competent people also highlighted as a significant threat to the new building safety regime.”

The new BESA team has already delivered a School Engagement and Engineering Discovery (SEED) Programme designed to help building engineering firms engage more successfully with schools and sow the seeds for future success.

The scheme, which was developed in partnership with Built Environment Skills in Schools (BESS), offers 12 weeks free training to help engineers enthuse a future generation of skilled technical workers.

The Association has also set up an ‘Outreach Team’ to represent the industry at careers fairs across the country and showcase the opportunities available in building services to people from all backgrounds.

BESA’s Head of Skills & Policy, Stuart Rattray said: “Our work will be dedicated to supporting BESA members and the wider industry so they can create a better and safer built environment by giving them access to a pipeline of talent.

“This involves helping them take on and attract more apprentices, including how to access funding, and more direct involvement with the further education sector to grow training provision.”

He added that the new department will also “fundamentally re-think how we exhibit and promote the various professions in our sector”.

The new skills and policy team is also creating a framework, which will be supported by a major marketing campaign, to increase the number of trainers and assessors available to back up greater training provision.

“This is another critical shortage area and a fundamental weakness that undermines the quality and availability of building engineering apprenticeships,” said Rattray. “Encouraging skilled and experienced people to give something back to the industry through training and assessing the next generation could be a critical aspect of addressing our overall skills challenges.

“Together we can build a skilled and prosperous future for the building engineering services industry.”

For more information about BESA’s new skills and policy provision click here.