CONSTRUCTION Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have teamed up to help tackle skills shortages in the sector.
The partnership aims to “incentivise and support” innovation by providing access and training provision for industry, further education providers and public sector partners within CSIC’s Blantyre-based Innovation Factory, which features £2 million worth of state-of-the-art equipment.
CSIC said the partnership will also result in the production of a joint research programme (to stimulate future skills and training solutions); an increase in training provision across Scotland by providing stakeholders with access to innovative products and workforce upskilling; marketing and tracking of the use of offsite construction across Scotland and developing courses and funding to incentivise skills and training; benchmarking and marketing productivity projects to demonstrate how innovative processes can reduce costs, timescales and waste; and developing relevant courses, modules and frameworks.
Rohan Bush, head of public partnerships & future workforce at CSIC said, “At CSIC we work collaboratively with the industry to develop the future skills our sector needs. Our objective is to support the construction workforce to become more innovative, dynamic and globally competitive. Similarly, CITB has identified the need to develop future skills and innovation within the workforce as part of its reform programme. Working together to realise these mutual aims makes perfect sense, and I look forward to building on previous collaborations with CITB through this new strategic partnership.”
Sarah Beale, chief executive at CITB added, “Our new partnership with CSIC will enable us to work together to help the Scottish construction industry develop the future skills it needs to boost productivity, attract new entrants, and meet the challenges of a changing economy. Innovation is at the heart of this partnership and we look forward to finding new ways to help the industry in Scotland take full advantage of the training and technology that can transform the way we work.”
