Training is often the first item to be cut in a recession. But I believe investing in your workforce is what gives a company the competitive edge. Besides the craft skills, an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) covers key skills such as communication. It is no longer enough just to know your trade inside out; you must be able to relate to the customer. A company may have very articulate managers but it’s the guy with his tools going into someone’s house who leaves the impression about what sort of company we are. He’s the one who can diagnose problems, and if there are any other issues deal with them and sort things out to the customer’s satisfaction.

However, construction companies and regeneration partnerships are taking on the responsibility of retraining school leavers and adults including the long-term unemployed. In Sheffield where the council is refurbishing 55,000 council houses, training for employment is a fundamental part of the regeneration strategy. Construction companies are already thinking ahead and training a workforce to cope with the work generated by government projects like the Decent Homes initiative under which every council or housing association home will be brought up to a higher standard with new kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems.

In our sector, mechanical and electrical engineering (M&E), we see no shortage of young people wanting to join as apprentices. There’s always work for skilled plumbers, electricians and gas fitters and some very high salaries to be earned once you have the experience and the training behind you. But employers working in regeneration also need to put something back into the local community and training is a way of doing this.

As a member of South Yorkshire Training Group which includes contractors, the Construction Industry Training Board, local authorities and representatives from the Department for Education and Skills we are trying to get a joined up approach to regional training among schools, colleges and employers that will enable us to tackle skills shortages and set a new training agenda.

Training within our industry has changed quite dramatically. Once the only way in was via a four year apprenticeship in which the young person studied part-time or block release at college while learning a trade on the job assisting a skilled fitter. Nowadays 16-18 year olds are recruited and trained by the industry’s major training provider, Building and Engineering Services Training Ltd while new qualifications are dealt with by SummitSkills one of the new sector skills councils.

In an era where there are no jobs for life there is a lot of training, retraining and transferable skills training going on. Sir Mike Tomlinson’s 14-19 white paper boosting the status of vocational qualifications is not before time. There has to be a route for people wanting to move from craft skills to vocational degrees and into management.

Under the old adversarial system when companies won contracts on the basis of the cheapest quote there was no incentive to train. But where the client is looking for quality and where a long term partnering relationship develops then clients can come to realise that is in the industry’s best interest for it to invest in skills for the future.

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