County construction leaders tackling sector skills gap

Construction sector leaders in Shropshire are joining forces with the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and colleges across the county to tackle the skills gap at a round table event this month.

Training providers and construction companies will be on a panel hosted by Shropshire Construction Excellence (SCE), the business group which aims to raise the profile of the sector in the county.
Gareth Emberton, Chair of Shropshire Constructing Excellence, will host the event that has been organised in association with the Marches LEP at the Lighting Industry Association on Stafford Park, Telford, on June 26.
Gareth said: “This is an ideal opportunity for employers and educators to get around the table and talk about how we can tackle the skills issue that we know exists particularly in our sector. We need to explore the ways schools, colleges, and the construction industry can work together to get youngsters into construction careers.
“The event will be a chance for employers to highlight the challenges they face when recruiting and training their workforce, and help colleges and training providers to understand where the issues are.
“Through our discussions, we hope to discover understand the emerging skills needs at a local level. This is the first event as part of our new Shropshire Construction Cares campaign, as we believe that by working together, employers and educators, can create more options for the future of construction in Shropshire.”
The panel will be made up of business and education experts, including Jos Brownlie, the Chair of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers’ West Midlands regional committee, SCE vice-chair Dan Leech from TDS Midlands and the Centre of Excellence for Digital Engineering, James Staniforth, Principal of Shrewsbury Colleges Group, and Graham Guest from Telford College.
SCE is also welcoming questions from the audience, and from those who are unable to attend. Questions can be emailed to teresa@shropshireconstruction.co.uk using the subject line ‘Construction Challenge’.
To join the #shropshireconstructioncares conversation in advance, or on the day, follow SCE on Twitter @shropconstruct.
Tickets are free for SCE members and £20 for non-members.
To book your place, go to https://bit.ly/2L4e1J5 or search www.eventbrite.co.uk for Shropshire Constructing Excellence.