CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2021 31 One of themany subjects that CPA staff repeatedly provide to the membership is the advice, guidance and support for skills and training queries and issues. The subject is also a regular feature during working and special interest groupmeetings and CPA further undertakes constant discussions on skills and training with various bodies, including government departments, CITB, other federations, card schemes and educational bodies. Discussions at CPA-dedicated meetings and forums on skills and training, such as the Training of Plant in Construction group (TOPIC), focus on ways of providing support to Members for both foundation and upskill training, as well as competency requirements. Some of the aspects considered include not only providing additional expertise and resources but also what support methods could be provided to, for example, encourage experienced individuals to become instructors and assessors that are needed to cover the large range of plant within the sector, particularly specialist equipment. To factor in what support could be provided, clear data is needed on when, who, how and what training is undertaken and what issues Members collectively have in sourcing and organising training and qualifications. A number of Members have their own training facilities and offer training internally and, in most cases, externally but the extent of provision and locations is not fully known. Although some data is held by CITB in relation to grant claims, it has been identified that there is a lack of clear data on current training provision undertaken and/or used by the membership and of the training and competency landscape in terms of need, delivery and effectiveness. It has been in essence decided that a feasibility study needs to be undertaken to identify a range of effective methods that CPA could provide in terms of training and competency support. To understand how, what and when training and other support is required, this needs to reflect accurate data on the needs of employers for the various occupations. Traditionally, data on construction-based occupations has come via government and CITB forecasting data but for example, under the Office of National Statistics data, only Plant Mechanics and Plant Operatives are identified as distinct occupations. Through previous CPA-derived research, official figures identified through government sources and CITB are inaccurate and are unable to identify specifics on where there are skills shortages, or where the needs are, in either a category type or sub-sector. CPA is therefore instigating a thorough research project on the current training and competency provision landscape of our Members to aid the formation of a feasibility and viability study on training and competency provision support. This project will be based on a strong mix of both qualitative and quantitative methods, allowing the full membership of CPA to have their say on if, how and when training and competence requirements are undertaken by them and the issues faced by employers. Conscious of avoiding this being a burden on Members’ time, the research programme will engage with the membership through a number of ways that minimise that burden whilst gaining maximum individual feedback. The findings of the research programme will be of paramount importance to aid identification of the level of engagement the plant sector, and the support required, for the routes to competence. To effect this identification, CPA seeks, welcomes and encourages the membership to participate in this important research project. The findings will further support two industry-led initiatives. Firstly, a skills plan is being developed through the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) in order to address the shortages in skilled and competent workers, equipped with future-skills, able to supply the sector’s need and its supply chain. For effective engagement with the skills plan and the issues that surround the plant sector means having a better understanding of the current and future training and competence landscape for plant occupations and roles. Secondly, the Plant Sector Representative Organisation (PSRO) - the body set up by the leading construction and plant sector federations and being led by CPA - has a principal aim of developing a competency framework for plant occupations that provide direction and standardisation of training and competency processes for card schemes, awarding organisations and employers. The findings of an accurate training research programme will help shape and maintain accuracy of the framework. CPA Members will be contacted in due course seeking their participation on the research project. TRAINING TRAINING: 1 Plant Operations Feasibility and Research Project Apprenticeship Delivery Support Programme Update The CPA apprenticeship delivery support programme is now underway, helpingMembers in navigating the skills/apprenticeship landscape. The CPA apprenticeship ambassador is supporting and advising a number of Members over college and provider engagement, funding complexity and the apprenticeship registration processes. Positive feedback has beenmade by Members on getting this additional support. There are also initial discussions around the potential development of a new apprenticeship standard for concrete pump operators, from which the special interest group will determine the national envisaged number of apprentices and the seeking of employer support to form the standards development group. The learnings from discussions with employers and what they are facing in terms of taking on apprentices and the delivery issues will form part of a FAQ section within the apprenticeships/skills page on the CPA website. This will enable a more comprehensive information service on apprenticeship standards, education engagement and funding - extending the service to more Members. Members seeking support with apprenticeships, particularly to training in-house, are reminded that they are welcome to contact Paul Skitt, CPA’s apprenticeship ambassador at paul.skitt@cpa.uk.net