Everyone is dealing with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and businesses are starting to get to grips with how they’ll deal with the economic fallout caused by the public health crisis.
With the UK government encouraging construction workers to go back to building sites in recent weeks, provided that they can adhere to the two metre social distancing guidance, there is a lot that those in the construction sector need to manage and potentially alter.
An article for Biz Journals recently suggested that training within the construction industry is set to be more critical than ever as a result.
Firstly, businesses will need to train individuals in new health and safety protocols surrounding Covid-19. One of the key considerations is making sure that people feel safe to return to work and continue with their jobs, even if that means adjusting the way in which they work for the foreseeable future.
But more importantly, construction firms need to make sure that they don’t put training for their workforce on a back burner while they deal with the financial fallout of the pandemic.
The news provider explained that doing so leads to “a lack of trained workers and a future workforce shortage”. Given that the UK is also facing a significant skills gap in its construction sector, many in the industry will want to avoid such a scenario.
Instead, businesses need to see this as an opportunity to widen their existing training efforts, and to explore how they can ensure they retain skilled workers long into the future.
There is good news on this front in the UK, according to the latest research from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), FE News reported.
According to the latest figures from CITB, less than 1.5 per cent of construction apprentices in Great Britain have been laid off as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, of the 10,400 in Britain contacted by CITB in recent weeks, just 141 said that they had been made redundant.
CITB has been getting in touch with apprentices across England, Scotland and Wales to make sure that they are aware of the support available to them during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The news provider noted that a separate survey of construction employers found that 83 per cent are “extremely or somewhat confident” that their apprentice will complete their training programme, despite the current situation.
CITB head of apprenticeships Deborah Madden commented: “Apprenticeships are critical to the future of construction so it’s encouraging to see so many employers retaining apprentices and keeping skills development high on the priority list.”
However, she stressed that there is no room for complacency, as there could yet be a dip in apprenticeship numbers as the construction sector, along with other areas of the economy, begin to adjust as a result of the public health crisis.
If you’re interested in running additional construction training courses for your employees, or you want to explore the various options in this area to see if any are suitable for your business, get in touch with Learning Plus today to find out more about the training they’re able to offer.