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!
If I was going to encourage you as business managers and owners to step-back and look at any themes in connection with your business model, it would be the following three highlights I picked up at recent meetings of the Natural Stone Industry Training Group, an awareness seminar for Building Information Modelling (BIM) and a training session by the National Specialists Accredited Centre.
Number One
To be in-scope or not in-scope: That is the question.
If you are a construction business or employer, then an act of Parliament states you should be registered with the Construction Industry Training Board.
People fear registering because the CITB does expect levy payments. But the levy is simply a mechanism to encourage us to train and to reward us financially if we do so.
It aims to even out the cost of training between companies that provide it and those that don’t – so that those who poach the staff you train at least help you pay for the training.
Even so, to avoid too much cost to small companies, no levy is paid by firms with an annual wage bill of £80,000 or less, even though they can still claim the bulk of the grants.
The grants themselves are available for NVQ achievement, Specialist Apprenticeship Programmes, Specialist
Up-skilling, Training attendance and much more.
Registering with the CITB is easy. Go to www.citb.co.uk/levy-grant and take a look for yourself.
Number Two
Readiness for 2016 and BIM Implementation.
The government says all projects involving public money will need to be BIM Level 2 compliant by the summer of 2016.
If you don’t know what that means, then there lies the issue.
The BIM process allows a supplier to build in tolerances, sustainability and other specification values for the natural stone it is selling. That will enable the customer to order the right materials for repairs or further development.
Likewise, maintenance schedules can be recommended by stone firms, allowing for factored-in repair, restoration and cleaning.
BIM certainly provides a mechanism for contractors to make their mark long term on a project. So perhaps it’s time to book that ‘Introduction to BIM’ course?
Number Three
NVQs, CSCS and all that malarky.
Its a bit like Marmite: You either love it or hate it. But one thing’s for sure, it ain’t going away.
CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) cards are only going to increase in enforcement – not just having a card, but having the right card.
By summer next year, the green ‘labourer’ card will only be available for those undertaking a Level 1 Knowledge Qualification (details to be announced later).
It’s time, then, to assess whether your employees are actually operating as banker masons, cladders, fixer masons, floor fixers, restorers or cleaners – and making sure they have the correct Level 2 NVQ so they can claim a blue ‘experienced worker’ CSCS card.
I have my hands on a limited amount of funding for on-site assessed NVQs (for experienced workers in England). But if you want to benefit from it, act quickly because it will be gone by the middle of January.
I can also put you in touch with some amazing funding for specialist apprenticeship programmes in either Stone, Granite & Marble Fixing, Facade Preservation and Modular Stone Paving. Again, spaces are limited, so don’t put it off.
I hope these three points get you thinking of ways to enrich your business offering and that I’ll be hearing from you when you get back at work in the New Year… just in time for the snow, if Murphy’s Law has anything to do with it!