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GGF To Fund Apprenticeship Scheme
The GGF has announced it will be launching a GGF Apprenticeship Scheme from January 2022 to help Member companies recruit, train and qualify apprentices.
Working in partnership with training experts, Total Support Training and the industry awarding body, GQA Qualifications, the GGF Apprenticeship Scheme aims to fund training for apprentices of up to £4,000 per GGF Member Company.
“In the current landscape for skills and labour, all companies are struggling to recruit new people into the industry. Currently apprenticeships are not working effectively for the glazing sector.”
– John Agnew
Managing director, Glass and Glazing Federation Group
Take on an apprentice
"The investment from the GGF will be an incentive for GGF Members to take on apprentices and to ensure they are trained and qualified to a level of competence that makes apprentices assets, not liabilities to a business,” adds Agnew.
The GGF decision was based on both the current landscape and feedback from GGF Members who will no doubt be encouraged by this significant level of financial support.
Construction workers needed
The strategies and targets for Net Zero between now and 2050, will require an estimated 500,000 additional skilled workers for the Construction Sector, the figure includes the glass, glazing and fenestration industries' need for more skilled workers. Recognising this need and potential, the GGF Apprenticeship Scheme will be of real benefit to its Members.
John Agnew continues: “From numerous meetings and discussions with GGF Members, it is clear that they are finding agency staff are not always the long term solution to their skills requirements and existing apprenticeship schemes do not offer training on glazing and glass processing for example. In addition, the current government and local authority funding, is for workers already in the industry with prior knowledge and not focused on people new to the industry.”
Career path
The GGF Apprenticeship Scheme will set a clear career pathway that will attract new people into the sector including those leaving school or college. The training funding will be based around the GGF Glazing Manual which contains the industry’s most accurate and up to date technical information and guidance.
The GGF has set the criteria for companies taking part in the Apprenticeship Scheme.
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Each GGF Member will need to appoint a dedicated mentor for the apprentice to help steer the apprentice through training and qualifications.
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Funding will apply to apprentices who are employed by a GGF Member.
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Employers must agree to GGF vetting.
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Employers receiving the funding have to commit the balance of the training costs.
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All funding payments will be linked to milestone achievements (measured by qualifications, assessment and skills) in the apprentice’s pathway.
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Funding for training and qualifications will cover two years of the apprenticeship.
What's on offer
The GGF Apprenticeship Scheme will start with a pilot with up to 20 apprentices in Glazing and Glass Processing. Others will follow as required by members and may include Fenestration, Window Film Application or Fire Resistant Glazing.
John Agnew says: “If the pilot scheme for the Apprenticeship Scheme proves successful, we will aim to fund training for 200 apprentices. The GGF is making the funding and framework available but the success of this initiative is dependent on GGF Members taking advantage of this incentive, to recruit new people to the industry and train them to professional levels."
To find out more about the GGF Apprenticeship Scheme - email training@ggf.org.uk
Picture: The GGF is to fund an industry apprenticeship scheme.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
29th September 2021