Government’s new skills requirement is good for industry

Blane Judd
30 March 2015

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People & Careers

Two weeks ago EngTechNow published its white paper, ‘The Experience Gap’, emphasising the role clients play in leading change. Blane Judd explains progress and the challenge.

It is just two weeks since EngTechNow published its white paper, ‘The Experience Gap’, emphasising the role clients play in leading change. So it is pleasing to see that Government is taking its role as a client seriously in this matter. 

The Government is overseeing an National Infrastructure Plan with an investment value of £460billion. But infrastructure works are at serious risk of delays and cost overruns if those delivering them are unable to meet their skills needs. So the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will now require any company winning a contract worth over £50million to demonstrate how it is investing in talent. 

"We can no longer sustain a situation in which technicians who emerge from apprenticeships operate on one career ladder, while graduate engineers operate on a separate career ladder."

This is a forward-thinking approach from the largest client in the country, and it goes further than requiring companies to run apprenticeships. As the Skills Minister Nick Boles MP said, ‘Under these new plans, bidders for all major government projects will have to demonstrate a clear commitment to developing the skills of the current and future workforce.’

That is absolutely necessary. While there has been a long publicised drive to increase the number and quality of apprenticeships in engineering, there also needs to be a culture change for existing technicians, and those completing their apprenticeships. 

We can no longer sustain a situation in which technicians who emerge from apprenticeships operate on one career ladder, while graduate engineers operate on a separate career ladder. This division between two parts of the same workforce leads to a system of direct supervision coupled with task-based authorisations that is highly inefficient. It ties up valuable engineering talent, misses out on responsible autonomy, and restrains competence development. 

Where clients take a lead, however, change is happening. EngTechNow recently signed a charter with Thames Tideway and Crossrail, setting out action to be taken to ensure apprentices and technicians across those projects are given the best possible support to develop their careers. We have also signed or are finalising charter commitments with infrastructure companies like Amey, Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall, Carillion, and WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff. 

Industry-led solutions 

The Government announcement also included some further good news about how its new requirement will work. In effect, it said that industry rather than government is best placed to develop solutions. 

"By moving away from task-based authorisation towards whole-job competence across the engineering workforce, we will make ourselves more competitive internationally."

Our white paper drew on a number of excellent examples of this from within the infrastructure sector. We looked at Crossrail’s decision to develop the Tunnelling Academy in East London, and at how a TfL 2010 framework that spurred the creation of the highly successful Technician Apprenticeship Consortium. 

For our own part as an industry-led programme, the companies working with EngTechNow value the proven model of EngTech registration – externally validated, internationally recognised, and a means to drive continuous professional development. 

Securing the right outcome

It is the Construction Leadership Council that has been tasked with establishing what a requirement for up-skilling should look like. That means industry must grasp the opportunity to tell the Council what is being done already, and where wider adoption would serve our collective interests.  

Getting that right has the potential to drive not just a growth in the skills that we as an industry need, but to strengthen our industry immeasurably. By moving away from task-based authorisation towards whole-job competence across the engineering workforce, we will make ourselves more competitive internationally. 

That is why we will be encouraging our Champion Employers to engage with the Construction Leadership Council. Engineering shares the responsibility to secure the best possible value for the UK taxpayer, and that will be delivered most effectively by building on our own best practices.