You’re hired: new Trailblazers

After years of lobbying the government to change the way new recruits are trained, the Trailblazer Apprenticeship scheme is set to launch in early 2019.

Britain’s record on resolving its skills needs has been at best patchy over the years; the youth training schemes of the 1980s were widely derided, while the recessions of 1990 and 2008 have also had an impact on training budgets.

Another factor was the decision by the Major government to close polytechnics and focus on universities that would produce graduates for the knowledge economy and service industries. This has diverted young people away from careers in the construction industry.

The result is a shortfall in the number of skilled professionals in the heating and plumbing industry. The 2016 Farmer Review of the construction industry found “a collective reluctance” to deal with the issue. The “survivalist mentality” means there will be a 25% decline in the industry’s workforce over the next decade. The report also linked it to poor workmanship and project overspends.

The Trailblazer scheme is central to the response. Kevin McCallister, a CIPHE board member and former president, has worked with the government and training bodies to put the scheme together.

Meeting the need

He believes the result is worth the wait: “I’m confident that people can now get a formal apprenticeship that’s fit for purpose.”

McCallister had made training his main issue as president, so was the logical choice as the person to get involved with the officials and training bodies tasked with reforming the system.

He says: “From the 1960s until the ’90s, young people could do a formal apprenticeship for five years. Then governments pushed them towards universities. This created a shortage of tradespeople in the construction industry that’s still there today.”

McCallister adds: “The government recognised that formal apprenticeships were the way forward and wanted them to be employer-led. Scotland introduced them years ago and now the rest of the UK is finally catching up.”

The result is a four-year scheme that is assessed by City & Guilds, EAL and BPEC. Each stage covers core competences and there is an exam at the end.

One issue has been making sure the scheme is flexible enough to address the different training needs across the country. He says: “Some apprentices may be working in rural areas where there may be oil or biomass rather than gas systems. We have to reflect that.”

McCallister is the first to admit that the scheme isn’t perfect. The risk is that some employers may be tempted to provide the shorter gas-only apprenticeship or focus simply on bathroom installation. He warns that those firms and the employee will be worse-off in the long run.

“Employers will make better use of someone who is fully qualified in all aspects of the industry. They can expand their business into other areas,” he says.

“The apprentice would be stuck at that level and if they want to leave that business they would be up against people who are a Stage Three craftsperson.”

That warning is based on McCallister’s own career experience; having served his apprenticeship in the 1960s he started his own business and went on to become a director in a plumbing and heating business that employed 1,000 people.

When he struggled to find engineers, the company invested £6m in a training centre and many of its former trainees have remained in the industry. Accepting people would leave was part of the decision as he bargained that in a small area they would come back and others would be eager to replace them. The decision paid off.

He says: “We invested first and the reward came later. Having been an employer, I believe that’s where the focus should be.”

He is also concerned that cash-strapped colleges will follow the money rather than the needs of employers. He is pushing the government to ensure it doesn’t happen but McCallister is realistic.

“Because colleges have to get the numbers, the grant funding is an issue. That’s got to be addressed.”

However, the government is listening and has already increased the funding from the level that was originally allocated.

McCallister warns that if employers are to do their duty, the government must also promote the scheme properly to distinguish it from the other schemes that are available.

He says: “Retailers don’t need major technical skills but their schemes also have the Trailblazer name. It risks lowering the status of what we do. The wider brand has some challenges; this may impact take-up.”

McCallister is confident that the challenges facing the scheme can be met. He believes that starting a scheme from scratch was always going to mean problem solving on the go.

He says it’s now up to the industry to fully grasp the opportunity: “Employers drive this industry so they have responsibility. We all have to get the message out to employers not to take the short cut; doing so will hurt them in the long run.”

Trailblazer Apprenticeship in detail

Four-year programme with each stage taking a year

Stage One

Health and safety, pipework, water resource and water quality

Stage Two

Workshop phase for heating systems, installing bathrooms and plumbing installation

Stage Three

Site-based assessments and fault-finding

Stage Four

Pipe sizing, design and heat loss plus deciding on career pathways

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of P&H Engineering, the magazine for members of the CIPHE. Find out how to join here.