INDUSTRYNEWS
Installing and
glazing skills
for the future
Umer Mansoor, CEO of
Construction Helpline, looks
at the industry changes post
Covid-19 and how glazers and
installers can recruit, upskill,
and retrain for the future.
» FOLLOWING THE COVID-19
lockdown, many businesses are starting to get
back on their feet. As glaziers up and down
the country are beginning to find new ways of
working while maintaining social distancing,
focus is now being placed on how they can
recruit, upskill and train employees safely.
The Construction Leadership Council
(CLC) has issued guidance every step
of the way and it is worth reading their
recommendations for safe working practice
post-covid.
The need for PPE, social distancing, and
regular hand washing feature heavily in the
advice. However, the guidance also offers
advice on how to carry out jobs where more
than one person is required. This involves
minimising the time spent together and
working side-by-side rather than face-to-face.
One-way systems are also advised to stop paths
crossing and if hands free technology can be
used to sign in and out of sites, then even
better.
WHAT SKILLS ARE NEEDED?
Installers and glaziers are required to have a
broad range of skills to meet the requirements
of the job including good customer service, indepth
product knowledge, technical skill and
competency, and an understanding of relevant
health and safety requirements.
So, where should companies and selfemployed
installers start in the new postlockdown
environment?
Carrying out a skills audit is a good starting
point to see what new skills are required in the
business and what training is required. There
have been a lot of changes lately, so it is worth
bringing
all staff up to
date on what the new normal involves. Even if
some are still on furlough they are still able to
take part in training.
BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP
With an aging workforce and the impact of
Brexit reducing the number of EU migrants
the every-increasing skills gap is a well-known
fact within the industry.
During the Summer economic update on
8 July the chancellor announced that the
Government would provide £111 million
in funding. The aim is to triple the scale of
traineeships between 2020 and 2021 to ensure
that more young people have access to high
quality training.
RECRUITING THE NEXT
GENERATION
The economic impact of Covid-19 and the
subsequent job losses now means there are a
significant number of people now looking for
work. Attracting these people into the industry
will provide much-needed jobs and a boost
to the economy, plus it will also help to plug
gaps in the industry due the retirement of the
ageing workforce.
One of the key elements of the Summer
economic update was the announcement of
a new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to create
thousands of new, fully subsidised six-month
work placements for young people aged
between 16 and 24 across the country. The
scheme is aimed at young people who are
currently receiving Universal Credit and who
are at risk of long-term unemployment.
THE VIRTUAL FUTURE OF TRAINING
To attract the next generation into the
industry, the sector must embrace and
incorporate new technologies into training.
For example, the use of augmented reality
and virtual reality tools to safely train new and
existing employees is becoming much more
commonplace. Immersive learning experiences
are an attractive and exciting addition to the
traditional classroom environment, and it
is also beneficial to the industry as a whole,
offering a new opportunity for learning. It
allows students to experience potential reallife
scenarios and learn new skills in a safe
environment. As well as boosting confidence,
it also saves money in the long run as it helps
to reduce the likelihood of costly mistakes
later down the line.
Coventry University’s construction site
simulator is an example of how augmented
reality is helping to train future site managers.
The students learn in a safe 3D digital
environment using interactive screens, actors,
and real-life scenarios.
EMBRACE DIGITAL CHANGE TO
BOOST SKILLS AND RECRUITMENT
The country has embraced technology
during the lockdown period finding new ways
of working, learning and communicating
with others. This is likely to continue, and
the construction sector must follow suit
by embracing and utilising the various
technologies available to make sure that it is
not left behind when it comes to attracting the
next batch of talent.
www.constructionhelpline.com
14 » AUG 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM