TRA careers seminar addresses skills shortages
3rd February 2022
The Trussed Rafter Association has held a careers event to help members address skills shortages and to launch its new designer training scheme.
In his introduction, chief executive of the TRA, Nick Boulton, spoke about the current challenges facing not just manufacturers of trussed rafters, but other employment sectors in the UK.
He said: “Trussed rafter fabricators are a classic example of where a predominantly aging workforce has been predicted to impact the performance of the sector as a whole and the individual fabricator companies. The only way forward, as members see it, is to create a new and consistent pipeline of future employees to fulfil essential roles, particularly that of roof and floor designers.”
Christian Warden, director at Talentview Construction (TVC) gave a talk about its job matching website where companies can post their apprenticeship, trainee and entry level vacancies, and where young people wanting to enter the industry can upload their CVs and find local job opportunities. His presentation is available to view here and a copy of the slides in the Members’ Resource Library here.
Liz Male of LMC, the TRA’s PR and communications consultants, gave a presentation reminding members about the Careers in Timber Engineering campaign and the tools available to help them recruit. She explained the results of new research into what is needed for successful recruitment in the construction sector today, and what young people now consider when looking for a career. Click here to see Liz’s presentation and slides can be downloaded here.
The event also launched the TRA’s new Designer Development Programme. Richard George, managing director of Mitek and chair of the TRA’s training committee, gave an overview of the scheme and introduced Jenni Bunny of ETS Trusses who has been one of the first trainees to start on the programme. To view Richard’s presentation, click here and his discussion with Jenni here. Richard’s slides can be downloaded here.
Nick Boulton concluded that TRA members needed to demonstrate to potential employees that timber engineering is a worthwhile and rewarding sector, and make use of all the available resources to help them face the skills gap affecting the industry.
A recording of the full event can be seen here.
