Pro Installer August 2022 - Issue 113 | Page 46

Skills
46 | AUGUST 2022

Skills

Proud sponsor of the PRO Skills feature

The Window Company ( Contracts ) says Kickstart was a missed opportunity

Three months after the deadline passed for hiring unemployed 16-24 year olds under the government ’ s much vaunted Kickstart scheme , the award-winning installer The Window Company ( Contracts ) has asked why a scheme with so much potential to attract new young talent into the industry failed to deliver in anything like the numbers it promised .
Kickstart provided employers with 25 hours a week of subsidised wages at National Minimum Wage for 6-month work placements and £ 1500 towards providing employability training , yet only 100,000 of the 250,000 targeted places were filled by the March 31 cut-off date .
The Window Company ( Contracts ) took on Oliver Dixon and Adam Harman under the Kickstart
scheme at the start of the year and , at the end of their six months , both have now been offered permanent jobs as Trainee Window Fitters .
Katie Thornton , Director of Compliance and Administration at the Chelmsford-based commercial installation business said Kickstart was the ideal way to give Oliver and Adam a taste of the industry and see whether they had what it takes to build a successful career .
She explained : “ We provided a comprehensive training programme which included : manual handling , working at height , asbestos awareness , and loading and unloading and that would have benefited them even if they hadn ’ t stayed with us . However , both fitted in from the very beginning and showed the kind of commitment and enthusiasm
which meant we were delighted to offer them permanent roles .
“ We would have been willing to deliver multiple cycles of Kickstart placements as the scheme really worked for us . It certainly had the potential to become a pipeline to attract young people who might never have considered a career in fenestration onto apprenticeships or higher-level training courses . However , it has been replaced by a Way to Work employment matching scheme , which carries none of the subsidies or training grants which made Kickstart a useful way of giving young people on Universal Credit a real chance .
“ In terms of timing , it was obviously difficult for some employers to offer Kickstart placements while lockdown restrictions were still in place , and I know some struggled to attract youngsters
who had been long term unemployed , but others were simply not aware of the potential benefits . Closing the scheme early , when we were still in the midst of a skills shortage , seems like a real missed opportunity ”
Oliver Dixon would certainly agree : “ I ’ m really excited to have this opportunity to train for
a long-term career . I ’ m learning new skills every day . I can already see myself , in five years or so as a lead fitter , leading a professional and productive team on a full house install .”
www . thewinco . co . uk

GGF TACKLES SKILLS SHORTAGE HEAD ON

The first cohort of apprentices to join the Glass & Glazing Federation ’ s Skilled Pathways Scheme , recently completed a 5 day induction course at the Milton Keynes site of GGF scheme partner Total Support Training . The event marks an important milestone in the progress of the scheme that is intended to recruit and upskill the next generation of glaziers . The second cohort of apprentices will undergo their induction in August .
The course itself includes both practical and written elements , focusing on the following : -
Who the GGF are and what they do , History of
Glass , Float Glass Process , Surface Coatings , Value Added Glass , including Heat treatment , Laminating and IGUS , When and Why should certain glass be used , Pre-Processing , Polishing , Beveling , Drilling , Brilliant Cutting , CNC , Building Regulations , CPR and Standards .
On top of the technical knowledge introduced to the trainees there are a number of practical tasks which provide a foundation knowledge of health and safety and basic glazing and glass processing skills . One of which is the delivery of the new manual handling course specific to our industry .
The GGF partners with Total Support Training to bring the Skilled Pathways Scheme to fruition , which was created to help GGF members and the wider sector with a means to attract talented , skilled workers into the industry . All whilst contributing towards the Government estimated requirements of 500,000 additional skilled workers needed by 2050 to help meet its Net Zero policies .
The GGF Scheme plans to cover Glazing , Glass Processing , Fenestration , Fire Resistant Glazing , Window Film Application and Technical Administration , but as the scheme builds in momentum , more specialisms are expected to be added .
“ We are immensely proud to have brought this scheme , which is unlike any other available in the industry , to reality ,” commented GGF Group managing director John Agnew . “ We are funding training up to £ 4000 per GGF Member Company and the completion of this first stage will encourage other companies to commit , after so many have shown interest .”
www . ggf . org . uk / training /