FM CAREERS - TRAINING
FROM THE GROUND UP Jason Brown, of Nurture Landscapes, identifi es the ways in
AUGUST 2021 53
According to Prospects, only 17
per cent of university, college
and sixth-form students
undertook work experience in 2020,
with COVID-19 being the cause of
around a quarter of students losing
work experience placements as
businesses began to scale back
operations and furlough sta„ .
For an industry which has a long
history of discovering talent through
these avenues, the decline in interns
and apprentices has hit the facilities
management sector hard. With the
world starting to get back up and
running again, attention should now
be turning to how the sector can utilise
apprentices and interns in its pandemic
recovery.
That includes turning attention back
onto recruitment and bringing through
new faces to take an organisation
forward in the new era – always a
challenge even without a global
pandemic.
FM SKILLS SHORTAGE
Government figures published in March,
a year a€ er the first national lockdown,
reveal that in the year 2019/20,
there were nearly 23,500 people in
apprenticeships in the UK, with those
under the age of 19 or starting at
intermediate level being hit hardest by
the pandemic. Whilst this is a general,
across the board view, it does raise
concerns that FM may soon have to
tackle a skills shortage o† the back of
halting apprenticeships.
You might be thinking, “okay, let’s
bring as many new apprentices in as we
can. That will solve the issue”. That is
easier said than done.
Apprentices and internships are,
without doubt, great for businesses such
as ours looking to rebuild. But, as we’ve
all heard time and again, circumstances
have changed. According to the latest
government figures, ‘higher’ apprentices
– in other words, those coming in with
a bit more experience than some of
their predecessors – account for nearly
a third of starts in the 2020/21 academic
year. Similarly, intermediate apprentices
account for around a quarter. Could this
be the start of a shi€ towards slightly
more experienced individuals taking up
opportunities le€ open by apprentices
having to end their placement early due
to the pandemic?
Potentially, yes. But these figures also
suggest that training and enhancing
existing skills, such as leadership
and management are of the utmost
importance. As the FM sector starts to
get back on its feet, attention should
also turn towards making it resilient
to cope with future challenges and
giving those returning to the sector a€ er
furlough a clear progression path in the
new world. At the same time, knowing
what students hope to gain from a
placement at the earliest possible
opportunity – for example, at Nurture,
we spend time with each new pupil
to ascertain their career and personal
goals and plan accordingly – ensures
resource is deployed strategically.
The much-publicised monetary
support o† ered to employers has
helped at least one post-COVID
hurdle feel more like a small speed
bump rather than a mountain, yet
one challenge does still remain –
apprentices and interns may be hesitant
about starting a placement having seen
how quickly these were paused as the
pandemic spread. They might also be
asking themselves if there will even be a
role for them at the end, either with their
employer or elsewhere.
A report by the Chartered Institute
of Personnel Development (CIPD) also
raises the need for a “greater emphasis
in building strong, transferable essential
skills,” which are, for many apprentices,
the reason they choose this particular
route in the first place. The same report
highlighted a worrying trend that
employers across the board have been
o† ering apprentices to workers already
experienced and indeed qualified,
meaning that younger people and those
looking to gain entry into the labour
market at a ‘grassroot’ level are being
squeezed out.
Now that the ‘new normal’ is taking
shape and restrictions li€ ed, FM, like
most sectors, needs to be more resilient
than the previous era. The impacts
caused by losing employees and
apprentices to furlough must serve as
a wake-up call and start the process
towards a future-proof FM landscape.
It is possibly too early to say for certain
what the full extent of the COVID-19
impact is in internships and apprentices,
but there are signs that they are coming
back into employers’ minds. The widely
renowned Bright Networks programme
is set to resume from June and run
through July, with 16 and 17-year olds
eligible to apply for the first time. And
with lockdown measures having been
li€ ed, there is every opportunity for
individual programmes to return.
There is still a fair way to go until
internships and apprenticeships are
fully back to normal, however the talent
is certainly out there and ready to take
advantage of any open opportunities.
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES
Nurture has one full-time intern in place,
a figure which will increase to three
come September, and five apprentices
working at our sites in Farnborough,
Winnersh near Reading, and Chineham
near Basingstoke. We also have four
‘adult learners’ with us – apprentices
who are of a more mature age but who
also have SEN requirements.
Each individual embarks on a gradual
learning curve; we start with the basics
of grounds maintenance and work
our way up together. This helps the
apprentice to get a full picture of the
work we do for our clients and build
their confidence over a period of time.
Studying the internationallyrecognised
RHS Level 2 Certificate in
Horticulture our apprentices access
a combination of practical modules,
covering topics from preparing soil for
planting to practical plant care. As our
clients operate multi-acre sites, we also
work towards helping our apprentices
learning about the equipment we use,
so that they can assist us in maintaining
these sites when they are able to handle
the tools safely.
By having such a renowned course on
their CVs, our apprentices are in a strong
position to go on to full employment.
At a time when everyone is getting back
up to speed, younger people, especially
those with specific requirements, should
not be denied their potential.
which to support young people entering the FM sector