Mark Priestman has more than 20 years’ experience in the natural stone sector. He plays an active role in the development and delivery of training in this specialist environment. Along with his father, David Priestman, he runs a training consultancy whose mantra is: Qualify the Workforce!
Do you remember back in the ’60s being told that TV was two-way and the presenters could see what you were doing as you gazed at the telly?
We’ll I’m about to have a go at doing a similar thing here in this column.
I’m going to suggest that around the time of your birth your parents would have been fixed to their black and white TV sets eager to find out the latest on ‘The Great Train Robbery’ and the assassination of JFK. Roughly around the time you started nursery, your Dad would have been cheering a 4-2 win by England in the World Cup Final.
As you moved up to ‘big school’ the world was focused on US President Nixon’s resignation. A year later, perhaps you decided you wanted to be an airline pilot after seeing the maiden flight of Concorde.
At approximately the time you entered the labour force (after deciding Construction and not the glamorous lifestyle of an airline pilot was your thing), the Iron Lady was elected as Britain’s first female Prime Minister.
Then, in your late 30s, millennium fever took a grip. A year later you look on in disbelief at the news footage reporting
9-11 and the destruction of the Twin Towers. Just as life [is promised] to begin for you, the Coalition attacks Iraq. Today, you are most likely a proud grandparent.
Wow… How cool was that! It’s as though I know you!
I know some of you are saying: “No way mate, you’ve got this reader wrong.” But you know what, I already know I got most of you right. You see, the average person in the specialist construction industry is now 50.
That’s got to be a concern.
If the average age of our skilled workforce is 50, where is the fresh blood coming from?
Even more worryingly, the average 50-year-old expects to retire before he or she is 60, even these days.
That means unless we get on top of training, coaching and mentoring in the next few years, we will lose a massive experience-bank. For ever!
Much good has been done but we really have only touched the tip of the iceberg in recent decades in our sector in relation to qualifying the workforce.
The economy is tight but remember a few positives: Some sectors of construction are growing. House building is one of them and is nowhere near capacity. Concrete is enjoying a skyward trend and the stone sector tends to follow concrete – at a reasonable distance.
Stone does have excellent credentials as a sustainable material and heritage investment almost always includes opportunities for natural stone contractors.
So why not take advantage of some of the funding opportunities available for training right now.
Priestman Associates, of which I’m a partner, for example, can boast a funded discount for experienced workers at Level 2 NVQ who register with us before the end of February.
The normal cost of delivery is £1,250, but for firms in England with less than 250 employees, this can be discounted to £450.
Better still, since the CITB grant will get a contractor £400 back on completion, the investment is only really £50 per learner.
Not bad for a qualification that leads to CSCS compliance.
Offerings include: Banker Masonry, Floor Fixing, Fixer Masonry, Restoring, Cleaning, Cladding and Paving Installation. Hopefully some of this matches your firm’s current needs.
The NSITG (Natural Stone Industry Training Group) also has a pool of £25,000 from ConstructionSkills to spend on contractors in the sector (membership of the Federation is not a requirement, but CITB registration is).
If you’d like to be considered as a beneficiary, send me details of the number of staff involved and the courses you would like them to participate in – my email address is at the start of this column. I will happily forward details to our friend Ian Major at the NSITG. Acceptable courses include training in Supervision & Management, Leadership, Use of Computers, courses on Legislation and the Safety Plus range.
Seriously, I’d make it a business priority to apply. You don’t want to miss out on ‘free’ money!
Mark Priestman is a Partner at Priestman Associates LLP, a leading façade preservation project consultancy. From stonemasonry and heritage skills through to Site Supervision and Conservation Management, the partnership is trusted by the leading brands of the sector as an NVQ provider for experienced, upskiller and apprentice workers.