Training and apprenticeships project update

This is an update on the raining and apprenticeships project, headed up by Richard George of MiTek. It outlines the main aims for the project and Richard hopes it will stimulate members all to think about what you want from the TRA in this regard.

The two main goals that we have outlined for the project are:

1. Make the industry more aspirational for new entrants
2. Make the training that we provide to the industry more professional.

With regard to making our industry more aspirational we have highlighted the many career options that are available in our industry including administration, sales, design, procurement, operations, production and management.

We aim to generate interest by telling the story of our industry through high quality video content. This will be a combination of real world videos of the whole process combined with individuals from the industry recounting their own personal experiences.

We are working closely with the team at Liz Male Consulting to ensure the content is fresh and aimed at the right demographic. Furthermore, the content will be produced in a format that can be readily made available for use on appropriate social media platforms.

In terms of how we make our training more professional, the team has identified a gap in the training that is currently available to designers. The TRA has a very good beginners’ course for design and all of the systems companies provide appropriate introductory level software training. The training after this initial phase is then carried out by the fabricator member and largely consists of ‘hands on’ use of software with little structure or assessment.

The goal is to create a series of workbooks that supply content and assessment opportunities as the designer progresses and tackles more varied and complex structures. Assessments will be evidence based and focused on real world solutions that have been delivered by the trainee. This will lead to TRA recognised qualifications that can used across the industry to benchmark an individual’s level.

We are presenting in more detail at the regional TRA meetings and would be grateful l if you could give this topic your consideration.

We would like to have a positive dialogue during the meetings to ensure we are moving in the right direction are and delivering what members need.

Richard George, on behalf of the Training and Apprenticeships Project Team.