A qualified workfors : The word 'apprentice' to be legally protected
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!
APPRENTICES
Forget the return of the dinosaurs in Jurassic World, Britain’s Skills Minister, Nick Boles, has announced that the term ‘apprentice’ is to be legally protected. In response, the Federation of Master Builders is declaring what it says could be the ‘age of the apprentice’.
In the stone sector, there are several routes to employment and qualification via apprenticeships.
There are in-house apprenticeships, where a worker receives mentoring and training by a master mason. There are modern apprenticeships1, which are a government initiative where day- or block-release college is part of the programme. And then there are the CITB’s Specialist Apprenticeship Programmes, which are fully funded for CITB registered firms and involve the workers mentoring in the workplace and spending about 20 days on formal, off-site training over a two-year period.
I am sad to say that the concept of apprenticeship in the UK often gives the impression it is for those who didn’t make college. But that is unfair. Apprentices ought to feel proud of their achievement and society ought to enhance its opinion of the apprenticeship.
It’s true, perhaps, that some work needs to be done on the apprenticeship itself to enhance its image. It will be interesting to see what the minister’s announcement will actually mean.
The FMB also states that government must practise what it preaches when it comes to training apprentices by driving apprenticeship training through public sector contracts.
This is a valid thought with 4-in-10 construction projects being in the public sector. With this in mind the FMB is suggesting that firms ‘should never be awarded public sector work by central or local government unless they have committed to training an appropriate proportion of apprentices.’
This could have a massive effect on the status of the apprenticeship in the construction industry.
DCM-BASED PAINT STRIPPERS
Paint strippers, which have historically been routinely used by façade cleaners and which contain dichloromethane (DCM)2, are currently banned throughout the EU – which, of course, includes the UK.
Since not everyone is aware of this, I wanted to point attention to it here.
There are moves to make an exemption to allow it to be used by competent façade cleaners, but this currently is NOT the state of affairs.
The Health & Safety Executive confirms it is illegal to buy, sell or use DCM-based paint strippers for façade conservation.
If (or when) an exemption is put in place, the HSE will introduce a Certificate of Competency scheme under which competent façade cleaners will be registered to use DCM-based paint strippers.
I emphasise that the scheme is not currently in place, but it looks as if it is going to be introduced and once it is, the chemical can be sold to and used by holders of the certificate.
For now, back away from any DCM-based paint strippers.
Notes:
1. Mark wrote a column about the modern apprenticeship and schemes such as the Specialist Apprenticeship Programme last year, which can be accessed online at: bit.ly/stone-apprenticeships
2. To keep up to speed on DCM-based paint stripper restrictions and other news from HSE, keep an eye on the HSE’s news webpage: www.hse.gov.uk/reach/news