Building Skills Fit for the 21st Century

As the UK celebrates Construction Week with trade shows and events, NPTC Group of Colleges is busy developing new programmes to help build skills across the industry.

It has launched the NPTC Group of Colleges Construction Leadership Group, which will see new qualifications developed fit for the 21st century, including drone technology, homes as power stations and the new ISG Level 3 qualification in Professional Construction Practice.

The Construction Leadership Group which held its inaugural meeting has a membership drawn from the Built Environment sector employers, local authorities, Higher Education, social landlords and trade federations. The meeting was hosted by Jeremy Miles AM.

The group will assist the College to develop in partnership, its skills development offer, through working with the members, and will have an impact on the economic growth of the region. The meeting also saw the signing of two more Memorandums of Understanding with the Finishes and Interior Sector (FIS) and the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), which will encompass joint thinking and working in developing skills for their members, along with the development of those needed to meet the renewables and advanced technologies capability of the sector.

The College is also working in partnership further afield with authorities and education providers in Denmark and looking to share ideas and practices to help develop a strategy to improve the carbon efficiency and performance of buildings in both Denmark and the UK.

Closer to home, the College continues to lead the way in Wales by developing partnerships and is building on its existing agreements, with British Woodworking Federation, Structural Timber Association and Shop Fitters.

Mark Dacey, CEO and Principal of NPTC Group of Colleges said: “We know the construction industry is changing and NPTC Group of Colleges is looking at the skills which are needed within the sector and providing the training and qualifications to match. We are working in partnership with others and delighted to be part of something that will bring around this much-needed change within the sector.”

Pic Cap: Cementing Partnerships: Pictured signing the Memorandums of Understanding are Catherine Griffiths, Wales Manager BESA Group; Mark Dacey, CEO and Principal of NPTC Group of Colleges; Iain McIlwee, CEO of FIS Skills and Jeremy Miles AM for Neath and Counsel General.