Building skills for the Northern Ireland construction industry

CITB NI highlights the need to invest in skills in order to invest in the future.

CITB NI research indicates that whilst growth in the local construction industry is lagging behind the UK, construction employment in Northern Ireland is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 1 per cent over the next five years, to around 64,500 by 2019 with an average of 1,500 new employees needed each year. The political and economic drivers for our industry will impact on the work on the ground affecting both recruitment and skills needs.

There is a danger that we are heading for a skills shortage in some areas as a result of an “ageing workforce” which has come about from a downturn in recruitment by companies over the last five years. Our industry wants to train and our research highlights that 58 per cent of Northern Ireland construction employers had funded or arranged training for staff in past year. It is very encouraging that construction employers want to get up-skilled in areas that will help win contracts and grow their business.

Skills are a key driver of growth, performance and prosperity. Our aim is to develop a qualified and competent workforce within the Northern Ireland construction industry and to help encourage and support training to ensure the right skills in the right place at the right time.
Our training grant scheme offers support to a wide range of training and qualifications from apprentices through to the existing workforce including management and administration. The scheme is structured into three Tiers and offers an economic incentive to train and whilst having a positive impact on the industry.

CITB NI’s Mobile Training Unit (MTU) provides free training on site to all registered in-scope employers. It is a convenient way of meeting training requirements with minimum disruption to site work. The unit travels across Northern Ireland delivering short duration health and safety courses such as confined spaces, excavations, manual handling and working at heights encouraging the industry to build safely. The second phase of our ‘Qualifying the Existing Workforce’ project was launched last year and there are now less than 300 QEW qualifications remaining for unqualified, experienced, employed construction workers to NVQ Level 2.

There is a need for CITB NI to continue to look at the way we support the industry and make sure our resources, and money, are being used to support the wider industry over the long term. This is why we are piloting new initiatives like our Shared Apprentice scheme and are soon to introduce a new programme to develop better supervisory skills within our industry.

We will continue to work with construction employers and key partners to develop better skills at all levels, from entry to senior management. We will also be looking at how Government support the construction industry through financial support for training and by investment in construction and building which give the industry a long term and secure programme of work.

CITB NI will continue to focus on providing the support and services needed to ensure local businesses have the right skills. Through a mix of Grant funding and Direct Training Interventions, CITB NI will help develop the workforce to meet client needs and grow their business.

For information on CITB NI and more log on to www.citbni.org.uk, like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CITBNorthernIreland and follow the discussion on Twitter @CITBNI and LinkedIn http://linkd.in/1GBeyLf