Maria’s ‘selfie’ with Big Ben
As everyone familiar with Greendale will know, we take training for the future of the construction industry very seriously and have forged close links with training bodies, schools and colleges. Therefore, we were delighted when our Finance/HR Director, Maria Seabright, was selected to give evidence to the Commission on Apprenticeships at Westminster, yesterday.
The cross-party commission has been set up to explore how to increase the number of high quality apprenticeships in the UK, featuring the construction industry as a major case study sector. Co-chairs for the commission are Conservative, Robert Halfon MP, and Labour peer, Lord Maurice Glasman, who were interested in hearing about Maria’s personal experience of apprenticeships, the costs and benefits to Greendale Construction, relationships with learning/training providers and funding arrangements.
Maria makes notes for the commission
Representatives from the FMB and CITB, both of whom Greendale Construction have very strong links, were observing
George Osborne was scheduled to attend but was a no-show!
During the hour long session, Maria discussed the funding of apprenticeships and what it would mean for employers such as Greendale to take on the responsibility of providing the funding themselves.
Maria said: “I explained that there is a massive shortfall in the grants received and the actual cost of training someone over 2/3 years. At Greendale, we do not take on apprentices solely due to the grants available. We see apprenticeships as helping to train for the future of the construction industry as a whole, and that is a huge investment for the industry and the country, not just Greendale.
“I also talked about the current challenges of engaging an apprentice – saying that some companies are unsure of the future and that’s why they are not taking on apprentices. I explained the importance of having the right mentor – which is proving to be hard as we have an ageing workforce within the construction industry. I drew upon my own experiences through Greendale of training young apprentices and helping them achieve HND / HNC up to degree level and told the commission that some of our best site managers came through this route.
In the absence of George Osborne, Maria snaps a pic of the official notepaper!
“Greendale has very strong links with local schools and colleges, and the commission asked how effective training was in my area. I impressed upon them how the persona of the construction industry is changing from the days when it was just seen as the place to push less academic students. The construction industry now offers career opportunities across all academic and skill levels, as well as the ability to work your way up gaining experience as you go. I also expressed how important it was for young people to gain site experience outside of the classroom.
“It was a privilege to be selected to give evidence at the commission and although it was a rather intensive session, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Afterwards, Lord Glasman came up to thank me personally and said how my passion for the industry really shone through in everything I said.”
The next stage in the Commission of Apprenticeships will be case study visits and opinion polling where the commission will undertake study visits to sites across the UK, to draw on examples of leading edge practice in the sector. Bespoke opinion polling will explore public perceptions of the sector and apprenticeships within it. Finally, the commission will publish its report which will be launched at a public event in London.