CPA Bulletin

20 CPA Bulletin > November 2023 www.cpa.uk.net Construction Plant Maintenance Technician The development of the Construction Plant Maintenance Technician apprenticeship, managed by CPA continues. This is intended as a 36-month learning programme, with much of the learning content focussed on new technologies such as battery and alternative-fuelled equipment, along with a higher level of diagnostic skills. Following the approval of this apprenticeship back in April, the working group have been devising the required knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), using a set of pre- devised and approved engineering-based KSBs which will speed up the approval process. It has been a complex activity for the group and taken a lot longer than envisaged as this forms the key part of the learning and sets up the requirements for the end point assessment, which is the next stage once the KSBs have been through the approval process. Lifting Technician This apprenticeship was the first plant-based trailblazer, launched in 2017 and led by Laing O’Rourke, with technical content provided by CPA. This is a 24-month learning programme and has three options of crawler crane, tower crane and mobile crane. The apprenticeship is currently under its 5 year-required review by a dedicated steering group of employers, training providers and CPA technical staff to bring it into line with current apprenticeship and employer requirements. Construction Plant Operative The content of learning for this apprenticeship, launched in early 2020, covers four items of plant - forklift, 360 excavator, dumper or dump truck and ride on roller. Following requests from employers, the steering group for this occupation is now expanding the scope of this apprenticeship to encompass a wider range of common plant e.g. 180 excavator, dozer, etc. or introduce specialist plant such as concrete pumps, suction/vacuum excavators and rail plant. Following guidance from the Institute for Apprenticeships, this wider range of plant will be placed into columns fromwhich employers, using a ‘pick-and-mix’ approach, can select what types of plant are learnt on for the apprenticeship relevant to their business. It is envisaged that following the required IfATE approval process, that the revised apprenticeship should be ready by spring 2024. This should increase the number of apprentices for this occupation, for which currently there are 430 registered apprentices, far exceeding the original estimate of 100 registrations. CITB Plant Operations Short Course Duration Training Standards The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) are developing and introducing a set of short-duration training standards for the operation of plant categories and from which grant payments will be subsequently based. CPA technical staff have been providing comprehensive advice to CITB on how the development programme should be arranged, which plant categories they should prioritise and have further been assisting in writing the draft standards for each of the working groups to review. CITB has now launched the first set of new standards for the categories of: • Excavator 360, above 10 tonnes (tracked) • Forward tipping dumper (wheeled) • Rear tipping dumper/dump truck: articulated chassis (all sizes) • Ride on roller • Telescopic handler: all sizes excluding 360 slew • Industrial forklift • Plant and Vehicle Marshaller • Slinger, Signaller: all types, all duties. They have been developed in collaboration with industry working groups, made up of employers, providers and federations, with the various working groups chaired by CPA staff or members. The new standards are made up of learning outcomes that encompass the technical content and assessment criteria as well as specifying training durations for both novice operators and those with some experience. These new standards are intended to provide consistency to plant training and testing requirements across the construction industry. The next tranche of standards will include the other variations of the listed categories, as well as a range of new categories. The grant rates for these new standards has further been changed, where a single, combined grant will be available for all CITB registered employers, replacing the three smaller grants that were available for practical test, theory test and short course training, which employers could apply in different ways. There are now two sets of grant per standard for novice learners and experienced operators. The grant which was available for testing for a CPCS card has been removed for these new standards. For employers to be able to claim grant, training will need to meet the technical and assessment content of the standard, be delivered by a CITB-Approved Training Organisations (ATO) and lead to a plant card that carries the CSCS logo (currently CPCS and NPORS). Employers seeking grant will need to provide their CITB registration number to an ATO, who will apply for the grant on their behalf. Any other plant training that is separate from the new standards will remain eligible for the original grant claim process. TRAINING: 1 TRAINING Apprenticeships & Training Updates