Industry leaders are to promote nine sets of ‘career families’ to students and teachers, in an initiative aimed at showcasing the breadth of roles available within the glass and fenestration sector. The career families initiative is led by representatives of the campaigning organisation ‘Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration, Glass and Glazing a Career of Choice’, in the lead up to the organisation’s series of careers fairs that are due to take place next year. (Read our report about industry support for those fairs, here.)
The nine career families cover more than 100 individual roles, and the promotion of those families is aimed at demonstrating the career progression opportunities, training and qualifications offered by working in the glass and fenestration industry. The team behind the initiative also hopes that it will make clear to students how their career journeys in the industry could look and develop.
The career families are to be showcased at in-person pilot events that are due to be held in March 2024, as a part of National Careers Week. The first is to be in South Yorkshire at the Oakwell Stadium and the second in Manchester, at the Etihad Stadium. The Building Our Skills team is working in conjunction with the education bodies in South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester to bring these events to fruition.
“Our aim is to show the industry to over 1,000 school children and their teachers over the course of the two events,” explained Mark Handley, Building Our Skills’ partnerships manager. “If the two pilots are successful, these will become annual events, enabling us to keep in touch with those who attend as they get closer to thinking about their careers.
“It is also our intention to expand the number of events into other areas of the country where we are already working with other local education authorities. But the launch of career families is an important step on the road to show students the opportunities that are available to them.”
Teachers, parents and students who want more information about our industry’s career families and the roles they include can email sayhello@buildingourskills.co.uk for details.
