INDUSTRYNEWS
GGF SUPPORTS
NEW TALENT
RETENTION SCHEME
» THE GLASS AND GLAZING
Federation (GGF) has welcomed
the Government’s announcement
confirming support for a new
Talent Retention Scheme for the
construction industry; formally
launched on the 24th of July.
Run by the Construction
Leadership Council (CLC) and
supported by trade and business associations
from across the supply chain, the not-forprofit
programme has funding secured
until the end of April 2021, providing a
free online platform for any business or
organisation looking to hire, while ensuring
that candidates’ skills and experience are
given a prominent platform within the wider
industry.
The online portal supports redeployment
of staff at risk of redundancy from across
the sector, while also enabling temporary
employee loans between
businesses. It also gives displaced
workers from other sectors a route to find new
employment in construction, while offering
businesses a platform to find the skills they
need. As well as a skills matching service and
online job boards the scheme will also look at
re-skilling and up-skilling and signpost more
detailed information for different job roles in
the industry.
For more information on the scheme please
visit www.trs-system.co.uk/construction
Clarification is here; now let’s
get the market moving again
» GOVERNMENT HAS CONFIRMED
that ‘primary’ measures for the grant will
include insulation and carbon heat measures.
Households will need to install at least one of
these before they’re able to use the voucher on
‘secondary’ measures, which include windows
and doors.
Eurocell plc, leading manufacturer,
distributor and recycler of PVC-U windows
and doors, joined other manufacturers
including Safestyle, VEKA, Deceuninck
and Duraflex, plus industry trade bodies,
in lobbying Government for greater clarity
around the scheme in July.
Mark Kelly, CEO at Eurocell plc, said:
“Although it’s taken longer than we’d hoped,
we now have that clarity and can start
reinstating confidence to the market and
convincing customers who were waiting to
start placing orders again.
“The government has put quality assurance
at the heart of the scheme, stating that
tradespeople must register for TrustMark or
Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)
accreditation to take part. Whilst we 100%
support prioritising quality assurance and jobs
being undertaken to the highest standard, we
hope that any additional bureaucracy doesn’t
lead to less work for smaller companies and
installers.”
www.eurocell.co.uk
Letter to
the Media
Like all UK businesses,
we found out recently
that for every member
of staff furloughed
whom we still employ
in January 2021, we will
receive a £1,000 bonus.
» BECAUSE EVERY MEMBER OF
the Brisant team is back from furlough, this
amounts to around £50,000. It is this grant
that many high-profile companies such
as Primark and John Lewis, have turned
down and are giving it directly back to the
Government.
But we wanted to do more with it and
so we are putting it towards the creation
of five new trainee jobs for young people
aged between 16 and 24. We believe the
best way we can make a contribution
is by investing the staff retention bonus
directly into new jobs. This ensures that
our capacity to give a next-day service on
bespoke products stays in front of growing
demand.
By maintaining this service with new jobs,
we also bring security for the existing team
and more job opportunities, as the business
continues to see more demand born from
secure products and a dependable service.
Nick Dutton and Steve Stewart
Brisant-Secure Ltd
8 » SEP 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM