Training for jobs in building
Winners
of the Building Controls Industry Awards were announced in May 2008.
Organised by the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) and
the Building Services and Environmental Engineer (BSEE) magazine, the
awards are designed to recognise truly outstanding accomplishments in
the following areas -- technical innovation, engineering excellence,
energy saving, service and achievement, training, sales growth,
customer care, and employee motivation.
This
year, the Judges’ Special Award focused on recognising a commitment
to training for jobs in building. Sponsored by the Electrical
Contractors’ Association (ECA), the award celebrates the
achievements of companies in their support for high-quality training.
Only with practical and comprehensive training can the industry
continuously generate a broad range of experts who can handle their
building jobs professionally.
Trend
Control Systems was acknowledged by the judges as having contributed
considerably to the recruitment and training of apprentices for
building services jobs. The company’s all encompassing “Attitude
Apprenticeship Scheme” provides young apprentices with
qualifications and product training in order to prepare them for a
successful career in building jobs. These skilled engineers also gain
plenty of hands-on experience as they find employment from the
company’s various partners in the building services industry.
In
2007, 47 apprentices were trained under the scheme and subsequently
employed by the company and its partners. Assisted by BCIA, the
company established a new National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)
that is specific to the building services industry and meets the
needs of the skilled engineers. Better still, in order to further
benefit the whole industry, the company had committed itself to
recruiting and screening potential candidates for all kinds of jobs
in building. Hundreds of applicants were tested for their literacy,
mathematical ability and commitment before attending a formal
assessment day, when each of the company’s partners was given a
chance to interview and choose appropriate candidates for suitable
building jobs.
In
2008, a total of 77 apprentices graduated from the scheme. This
result demonstrates the company’s achievement in meeting the needs
of the building services industry by providing a means to train the
right people for the right jobs in building. “I think that the
scheme has had a benefit to the industry as a whole. In the past it
has been common practice for other companies to poach apprentices as
soon as they have finished their training. Now we are seeing more of
a move towards a provision of training throughout the industry and we
have been approached by a number of companies who would like to
replicate the scheme within their own organisation,” explained Jon
Cooper, customer and international sales support director for Trend.
By
winning the aforementioned Judges’ Special Award, the company has
proved that its long-term efforts in providing and promoting training
for building jobs have been worthwhile. In order for the industry to
continue growing and to manage the demands of the future, it is
important that more companies move towards implementing similar
schemes to help attracting young people to train for building
services jobs.
