Page 42 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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Identified Priorities
The below have been identified by the cluster group as priority areas for the region:
• Examples of good practice from around the region should be celebrated and further developed rather than ‘re-inventing the wheel’. The Cyfle Building Skills programme is one such example where the positive impacts for learners and businesses alike have been recognised through a Queen’s award. Other organisations should be encouraged to engage and support the initiative to enhance a long term sustainable provision for the sector.
• Procurement procedures have a significant detrimental impact on SME’s. In light of this there needs to be a review resulting in a consistency of approach to the procurement of products.
• Whilst it is recognised that the professional organisations such as quantity surveyors, architects and other consultants who are synonymous with the Construction industry have been categorised within the Financial and Professional Services Sector it is felt that the Construction professional organisations should be included within the Construction Sector as this will align with other training initiatives nationally such as the CITB Go Construct website and the local approach of professional Apprenticeships being piloted in September 2017. This also needs to be applied to the mechanical and electrical contractors so that a whole sector approach can be developed.
• The ever-increasing commercial nature of educational providers has taken the focus away from the provision itself with providers becoming more concerned with the quantity rather than the quality of learners. Alleviating this commercialisation would increase social conscience and place the focus back on the learner and develop true collaboration between the sector and training providers.
• The views in the recently published ‘Modernise or Die: The Farmer Review of the UK Construction labour model’ set out the need for the Construction industry to change in line with differing demands. Similar goals should be set for the education and training sector in partnership with employers with identified needs within areas such as, work experience, mentoring, civil engineering operatives, multi-skilling, technical and professional Apprenticeship progression which are currently being addressed outside of the main traditional core training routes.
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Sector Profiles