44 | SEPTEMBER 2020
Skills
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
‘Our Pursuit of Better Apprenticeship’
Nationwide distributor of insulation and interior building
products, CCF, will be launching a brand new ‘Our Pursuit
of Better Apprenticeship’ this year, showing its dedication
to further training investment within the company. This
announcement comes hand-in-hand with the news that
CCF is proud to be celebrating 31 colleagues who will be
graduating with industry recognised diplomas following
completion of the existing programme this year.
The Our Pursuit of
Better Apprenticeship
course has been designed
to provide new CCF staff
members with more opportunity
to develop and
succeed in their careers.
Those who complete this
apprenticeship will be
awarded a Level 2 Diploma
on completion, and gain
the knowledge and skills to
become a great colleague
within a branch, alongside
developing a strong understanding
of the company’s
customer base.
During the 12-month
apprenticeship, CCF colleagues
will benefit from
online learning activities
that involve one-to-one
coaching sessions, knowledge-based
webinars and
hangouts hosted by business
experts.
Gary Turner, South
East Regional Director at
CCF commented: “We are
extremely proud of all our
graduates this year, and
we are looking forward to
helping even more CCF colleagues
achieve their career
goals in the years to come
through the implementation
of the Our Pursuit
of Better Apprenticeship.
This new course will equip
our people with the skills
needed to make them an
expert within their job role
and could earn recognition
for future development
such as moving onto the
CCF Diploma in Management
course to take that
first step towards becoming
a manager.”
Tejinder Kallha, Assistant
Branch Manager at CCF
Harmondsworth, who is
currently completing the
Level 5 Higher Diploma in
Management, said: “Participating
in this course
has helped me to broaden
my skill set and has really
prepared me to take the
next steps in my career
with CCF. As part of the
Diploma, I was tasked
to develop new ways of
working to support social
distancing, all whilst still
allowing the branch to
increase capacity and provide
a better service to our
valued customers. I have
really enjoyed the entire
learning experience and I’ll
take these skills forward
with me as I continue on
my career pathway.”
www.ccfltd.co.uk
www.travisperkinsplc.co.uk
THREE QUARTERS OF TRADESPEOPLE WANT
THE INDUSTRY TO HIRE MORE APPRENTICES
In a recent survey it was
revealed that over 3/4 (78%) of
tradespeople think it’s crucial the
industry recruits more apprentices
with 57% believing they are
currently underutilised.
These findings come from a
new survey by Dakea, a leading
manufacturer of high-quality,
affordable roof windows that
are built for the trade, which
questioned 500 roofers, installers
and local contractors around the
country about attitudes and opinions
surrounding apprentices in
the construction industry.
74 per cent of respondents said
that they believe there needs to
be more support for apprentices
and the skilled workforce of tomorrow.
In 2011, it was estimated
that one in every five UK-born
construction workers were aged
55 or older meaning that by next
year, those people will be near
retirement age causing a significant
skills gap, something that
can be remedied by apprentices.
However, the recruitment of
apprentices can have significant
benefits outside of the traditional
construction job role. As the
world looks to adopt more digital
practices in the wake of COV-
ID-19, ensuring those working in
construction are adopting technology
can have a significant impact
on the success of a business.
Despite this, only three quarters
of the industry admitted they
are fully comfortable with using
technology compared with 100%
of those that have been working
in the industry for less than
two years, who are most likely
recently qualified tradespeople,
highlighting the positive impact
apprentices and digital natives
can have on a business.
Undertaken as part of Dakea’s
‘Trade Matters’ campaign, the
survey identifies the areas where
the trade industry needs the
most support in order to help the
everyday life and businesses of
roof window installers in the UK.
To make sure that tradespeople
can help grow their business via
the recruitment of apprentices,
Dakea has created a selection of
free guides that includes:
• How to hire your apprentices
• How to develop your apprentice
• Index of training collateral
provided by Dakea
Mhairi McDougall, Country
Manager UK and Ireland at
Dakea, said: “The construction
industry has been facing a skills
gap for years, something that
needs remedying to ensure we
have enough skilled workers to
meet industry demands in the
near future:
“Having grown up around
technology and social media,
apprentices are digital natives
making them best placed to
help businesses adopt emerging
technologies and futureproof
businesses. Apprentices can offer
a fresh perspective on potentially
exhausted working practices
and at Dakea, we believe that
the more businesses invest in apprentices,
the great reward they
will see.”
www.dakea.co.uk