Following last year’s No More Lost Generations report, the CITB is convening an apprenticeship and skills summit at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in London on 10 March.
The list of speakers at “Building Futures” is headed by construction and skills minister Nick Boles, and also includes other “high profile figures from government and industry”.
The findings of the Demos-led “commission on apprenticeships” will also be unveiled at the event.
The CITB says that the summit will create an “opportunity to debate the Commission’s findings and make recommendations on the way ahead for construction in England, with potential read across for Scotland and Wales.”
The event is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Construction Leadership Council. It is free to attend, but attendees must register at the dedicated Building Futures website http://www.citb.co.uk/news-events/building-futures/ which goes live on 12 January.
Discussing the event with Construction Manager, Peter Hansford, the government’s chief construction adviser, said that he hoped it would have a similar “catalysing” effect on the industry’s mindset as the health and safety summit held in 2001.
“I think it’s hugely important for the industry. What really came home to me over the last year is that skills is the single biggest issue in the industry at the moment.
Speaking to both [former construction minister] Nick Raynsford and Lord Best, they have said that the Industry Safety Summit was the catalyst for a sea change in the industry towards better health and safety, and their ambition is that the conference mirrors the summit.”
Writing in a blog on the CITB’s website, chief executive Adrian Belton said: “With one in five employers telling us they are facing a skilled labour shortage, the race for talent is an increasing challenge.
“We know there are over one hundred thousand skilled construction workers currently in the job market – people who want to get back into the industry – but how do we reach them, refresh their skills and help them return at a time when we need them most?
“And, at the same time, how do we attract the next generation, ensuring they have the skills and insight to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities that the digital age is bringing to construction.
“These are some of the biggest questions of the day. And whilst CITB is already working with industry to address them, we want to hear from people from across the sector on how we can best help construction to thrive in the next decade and beyond.”
Belton’s blog also says that the summit will:
- provide information and advice for smaller employers on how to access funding to grow their business and take on an apprentice;
- consider the image of the industry and explore how we can help careers advisers to promote construction as a fulfilling and financially rewarding career for young people.
It is understood that the event was originally scheduled for November 2014, but was postponed, partly to avoid a clash with the CIOB’s Inspiring the Future of Construction conference.
