Reading College and University Centre and Bracknell and Wokingham College Champion the Launch of Berkshire’s Green Construction Advisory Panel

Reading College and University Centre and Bracknell and Wokingham College are pleased to announce that they are leading the launch of a Green Construction Advisory Panel in Berkshire.

This is part of a nationwide project that the British Association of Construction Heads (BACH) has launched in collaboration with the Green Construction Advisory Panel (GCAP) to roll it out across the UK.

GCAP is a member-led committee comprising of building services, housing and construction businesses, supported by government agencies, charities and training providers across the UK. GCAP aims to promote, enhance and develop sustainable training and education opportunities for the housing and construction industries. Their mission is to close the skills gap and create entry pathways into green careers. They aspire to educate both the current and future workforce on adapting to emerging technologies, considering environmental impacts and helping the industry meet net-zero targets.

Established by Exeter College two years ago, GCAP has successfully and impactfully brought together employers, training providers, manufacturers and other regional stakeholders in the South West to drive the ‘Green Skills’ agenda locally. This has created a template model which is replicable not only across the UK but also internationally, with the Nepalese Government already embedding the GCAP model into policy.

To date, over thirty training providers throughout the UK have already committed to GCAP, including local authorities and charities. GCAP currently boasts nineteen regional centres who will collaborate with local stakeholders to understand more about the skills landscape and work towards action-based outcomes.

The Berkshire GCAP members are Reading College and University Centre and Bracknell and Wokingham College (part of Activate Learning). Activate Learning will be reaching out to other colleges, local businesses, schools, organisations and local authorities in the area to recruit more members to the Berkshire GCAP.

As part of influencing the younger generation about sustainability, from September, all students studying a construction pathway at Reading College and University Centre and Bracknell and Wokingham College will have a Level 1 Award in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability embedded into their course to help them to develop an understanding of energy efficiency and sustainability.

Students will learn about Retrofitting where new features and technologies such as installing double glazing, loft installation, heat pumps and solar panels are added to older properties to make them more energy efficient.

Geoff Coughlan, National Vice Chair of BACH and Director of Construction and Engineering at Activate Learning stated:

“Building on the success of BACH, the GCAP model offers a straightforward yet impactful approach to engaging with our local economy.

“It helps us understand the skills and recruitment challenges facing the industry and allows us to learn from and share best practice with other training providers across the country.

“Together, we will collaborate with professionals from the green sector to provide practical, action-oriented solutions for the benefit of the current and future workforce.”

Geoff Coughlan, Director of Construction and Engineering at Activate Learning has been elected as National Vice Chair of BACH. His tenure will be two years as Vice Chair followed by two years as National Chair. This followed two rounds of voting by member colleges and training providers nationwide.

BACH will be responsible for establishing the GCAP model across the UK via its established structure in England & Wales and its contacts in Northern Ireland and Scotland over the next three years and beyond.

Mike Blakeley of GCAP and Executive Director of Future Skills & Apprenticeships at Exeter College said:

“GCAP has had a huge influence on our approach to ‘Green Skills’, careers engagement and collaboration with regards to the College’s approach to Net Zero.

“It has grown from 12 founder members to over 160 and expanding it nationally is a natural evolution. We know that the impact of BACH’s support in doing this will be both significant and positive.”

Graham Hasting-Evans, President of BACH and chief executive of international skills solutions provider NOCN Group, added:

“To address the existential challenge of climate change we need a radical change in skills across the whole of the construction workforce, affecting both existing occupations and the new ‘green jobs’ which are rapidly emerging.

“This cannot be run centrally; local areas and employers are best placed to drive the modularized changes needed as and when they are required in a practical and pragmatic way.

“GCAP has demonstrated the great benefit of this ‘bottom-up’ approach and we at BACH are delighted to be able to support rolling this out across the UK.”

BACH was established 40 years ago to bring together Further Education Colleges and other providers that deliver construction training in building, civil engineering and business service engineering. Over the last two years, BACH members have been collaboratively focusing on the challenge of ‘Net Zero’ through the development of ‘Green Skills’ and the national roll out of GCAP is a key next step in this initiative.