SCOTLAND’S construction equipment companies have been given a £50,000 boost to improve skills.
Trade organisation the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA), its 260 member companies and their 15,000 employees will benefit from the initiative introduced by the SPOA committee and funded by CITB Construction Skills.
The Qualifying the Workforce drive will see an SPOA representative work with officials and other industry bodies to set and raise standards of competence for plant operators, fitters and other occupations involved in plant and equipment.
The SPOA is urging all member companies and their employees, the Health and Safety Executive, and contractors who hire plant to add their support.
Phil Ford, skills strategy manager at CITB Construction Skills, said: “Every organisation involved with the Scottish Plant Owners Association will now have the opportunity to contribute to the development of staff within their company and the plant industry as a whole through their trade association.
“The Qualifying the Workforce initiative will enable more people in the sector to achieve a VQ at level 2 or above and develop skills and abilities of the workforce as a whole. By undertaking this initiative the SPOA will be able to draw on the information they receive to recommend and develop an industry standard for qualifications and training. “
Organisations involved with construction and plant will be invited to provide input on the qualifications required on site by the people they employ or deal with. SPOA members will be asked to provide details of the qualifications or being pursued by their operatives, fitters and staff, the qualifications they require and the opportunities they can provide for operators and apprentices.
The SPOA will then collate the information and use it to negotiate the most competitive terms and funding available to members from training organisations and other agencies.
Companies and organisations who want to comment on the proposals should write to:
‘Qualifying the Workforce’
The Scottish Plant
Owners Association
302 St. Vincent Street
Glasgow
G2 5RZ
Image – Plant operators are among those who will benefit from the deal.
