Building Our Skills, the industry-led campaign designed to attract young people and career changers to choose fenestration as a career of choice, has been chosen to support the FIT Show event with its new initiative – ‘Skills Thursday’ – at this year’s show.
‘Skills Thursday’ will take place on 23 May, at the NEC, Birmingham and will be aimed at attracting non-industry visitors to attend and learn more about what fenestration can offer career changers and young people.
To support the day’s activities, Building Our Skills and the show organisers will be running a series of seminars, talks and business clinics aimed at providing newcomers with an insight into the many roles, training and qualifications in fenestration.
The visitors will also be able to follow a ‘skills trail’ and meet with Building Our Skills supporting companies to discuss the potential opportunities existing within their own businesses and fenestration as a whole.
In addition, the Building Our Skills stand will act as a focal point for both organisations and individuals wishing to learn more about fenestration qualifications, CPD learning, upskilling staff, mentoring, general guidance on staff retention, as well as helping to educate employers on how to become more effective attracting and engaging with career changes and youngsters.
Building Our Skills was formed in 2018 to help provide a platform for businesses from fenestration to promote and engage with young people and career changers to choose the industry as a career of choice.
Stephanie Tague, head of Building Our Skills, commented: “Previously, the industry has not been good at attracting young and new talent, but there are big changes within the education sector which could present fenestration the opportunity to be right at the start of this movement and make a real difference to the future of our industry.
“FIT Show is an ideal opportunity for the employers and companies to showcase the type of industry we are. We are planning to use the three-day event firstly to instil employers with a better awareness of training, qualifications and upskilling existing staff and secondly to promote the industry to outsiders – those interested in choosing a career in fenestration.”
Building Our Skills has recently drawn up partnerships with several key Government agencies both from the education and defence sectors. The partnerships will work to help promote and create a wider awareness of fenestration and directly target the individuals within these sectors who are potentially looking to choose a new career path.
Stephanie continued: “We are hoping to attract teachers, career advisors and maybe some students, along with ex-service personnel to the FIT Show, with the aim to grow their knowledge of the type of careers available.”
Nickie West, managing director of FIT Show, said: “There is no better platform than FIT Show to bring key people in our industry together and help tackle key industry issues such as the skills gap. When the concept for ‘Skills Thursday’ came up, we were delighted to find out that Building Our Skills and some of our key exhibitors were already addressing this issue head-on.
“Skills Thursday will provide our exhibitors the opportunity to find out first-hand what they can do to support this drive – from unlocking funding to recruit apprentices through to attracting and retaining new talent.”
“For the first time we will be inviting young people, careers influencers, ex-service personnel and those looking for a new career path to the show to experience for themselves our industry up close and personal.”
