Skilling the Housebuilding

Workforce

Angela O’Donoghue, South Essex College

FE Representative, Essex Employment & Skills Board

What is the Essex Employment & Skills Board?

“Collectively, we’ve helped to capture images of the universe, land on a comet, design cars used by millions and produce Apps used in everyday life. Our opportunities range from software developers, Civil Engineers, Aerospace Engineers, Lab Assistants and wind turbine technicians.

We all offer a range of opportunities into work ranging from apprenticeships, work experience, internships and graduate / PhD level jobs”.

ESB Chair, Suzanne Jude

Supported by an Essex Skills Evidence Base

• A detailed local Evidence Base capturing the skills needs of Greater Essex up to 2020 and beyond

• Available as a summary, over 300 pages of supporting information

• All 16 Sector profiles cover south Essex

• All information being refreshed in the coming months

Established seven local growth sectors The Skills Evidence Base covering all sectors illustrated that these were the sectors with current and future skills shortages and job opportunities

Headline Data for Construction

• Jobs in Demand in Essex - Civil Engineers, Construction and Production Managers, Carpenters and Joiners, Plant Operatives

• 50,000 homes to be built across Essex

• Major local and National developments - London Gateway Port & Logistics Park, Wind Farms and Crossrail

• Demand for renewable and low carbon solutions will increase

How is the Evidence Base currently used?

• Helped the ESB to illustrate to government the mismatch between local provision and employer need

• Informed the ESB’s first Programmes and priorities including the Digital Skills for Growth Programme, extension of Essex Education and Industry Programme and new ‘Golden Hello’ programme

• Serving as an important baseline to ensure Greater Essex gets a fair share of appropriately directed LEP, national and EU funding

How is the ESB already supporting sectors? • Each sector has a Board ‘Champion’ heading up a

Sector Action Group to engage with other employers across Essex, Southend & Thurrock

• ESB members are spreading the word and getting involved, speaking at a range of events, including local business networks, school events and national funding and sector forums

• The ESB is engaging with educators to outline the needs of their industry at a range of events and meetings

• The ESB is lobbying government for change and highlighting barriers via conversations with HM Treasury & BIS, inputting to devolution discussions and writing to Essex MPs and the Skills Minister

What does the ESB’s work mean for South Essex?• 25 South Essex employers have taken up the Digital Skills for Growth

Programme, reflecting a growing digital sector – more available

• James Hornsby, Basildon Academies, Woodlands, Billericay, Beauchmps, Westcliff High School for Boys and Castle View Schools participating in the ESB Industry and Schools Programme focusing on education industry engagement,

• South Essex FE providers eligible to apply for Golden Hello funding

• Evidence Base information available for supporting South Essex bids to Government and South East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) – already utilised successfully by South Essex College

• South Essex is well represented by Board members – Alison Calnan of Ford, Dr Sunil Gupta of the Castle Point & Rochford Clinical Commissioning Group, Andrea Stark of High House Production Park, John Gladman of Oakley Global Business Solutions and Angela O’Donoghue of South Essex College

What is the ESB doing for Construction?

Delivering:• A Construction School for 14-16 year olds commencing

next Easter at ARU in Chelmsford and South Essex College in Grays – target 100 students at each event.

• Employers needed:– For careers fair sessions – showcase roles/careers– Run interactive sessions during the week– Site visits for Friday– Follow up work experience opportunities (site or office based)

• Running constructing focussed activities in schools through the ESB Education and Industry Programme

• AECOM – Bridge Building (Culminating at ARU• Morgan Sindall – Grow your own House (sustainable development)

• Working with schools to run Sustainable Communities Crest Awards in partnership with CITB.

• Welcome employers wanting to get involved and provide site visits.

What is the ESB doing for Construction?

Developing:• Working with the CITB to develop a strategy and Action

Plan for the Construction Sector in Essex.• Identifying key challenges and solutions by engaging with

industry in Essex via workshops & Survey.• Workshop at ProCat tomorrow (24th Nov) to review the

proposed content for the strategy based on the research conducted and how this might be effectively implemented

• Strategy and Action plan completed by Jan 2016

Next steps for ESB • Continue to work with education to raise awareness

of industry need across growth sectors

• Update Skills Evidence Base and website through a forthcoming summary refresh and 3 year PhD project with the University of Essex

• Feed into the local case for devolution and continue to highlight priorities to national government, the South Essex Local Partnership and other funders

• Continue to explore locally driven bespoke solutions for education and industry

The Future• To build the most technically skilled workforce in the country

and support our growing economy

• To be supported by robust and accurate local evidence and industry feedback

• To provide long term opportunities for local people and be responsive to employers

• To close the gap between the skills employers need and those held

• To gain recognition of the key role skills plays in growth, productivity and sustainability

• To tackle the confusing landscape and duplication

Further information

• View the Evidence Base at http://esb.essexpartnership.org

• Contact the Employment and Skills Board at EssexEmployment.SkillsBoard@essex.gov.uk

• View one of our videos at https://youtu.be/pZE9fV1g3Ck

Education and Trainingfor the

Construction Industry

Helen Russell

Where is the demand?• Steady market demand for carpenters, joiners,

bricklayers, electricians, plumbers & refrigeration and air-conditioning engineers

• Increasing market demand for occupations requiring skills in civil engineering, construction management, surveying, CAD and BIM

• Demand from local young people is limited• A risk that large projects will increasingly

absorb skilled labour

Local Training Provision

Electricians & Plumbers

Bricklayers

Carpenters & Joiners

Heating & Air-

conditioning Engineers

CSCS17th Edition

F-Gas

Plasterers & Tilers

Health & Safety

Mostly levels 2&3

Basildon, Southend & Thurrock

Strategy for Development• Utilise LMI to determine future demand

• Invest, alongside employers and public sector

• Embed new technologies – Digital, Renewables…

• Help to raise the image of and access to the sector and attract more talent into construction

Expanding Provision

Site & Construction Management

Surveying

RenewablesCADBIM

Civil Engineering

Planners & Project

Managers

Smart Metering

Levels 3-6

Meeting Future Demand• Working with Young People– Industry Visits, Careers Fairs, Taster Days, STEM

projects– Young Constructors Club– Apprentice Ambassadors– Females into construction

• Continued push for Apprenticeships in Construction & Built Environment

• Training provision for Professional Development and Career Changers

What else could we do…?• Are there gaps in the education and training

offer?

• Is there anything more that can be done to help attract young people into the industry?

• Can public procurement support increasing local training in the industry?

• How can we work more collaboratively?