Welcome to your September construction update!
Last month, we looked at the scale of Scotland’s ambitions for housing and infrastructure and the workforce that will be needed to deliver them. This month, we’re bringing that conversation a little closer to home.
When construction businesses think about skills shortages and future workforce needs, recruitment is naturally part of the picture. But developing the people already working within the business can be just as important.
Across sites and teams, there are experienced people who understand the work, know the standards expected of them and have built valuable practical knowledge over years in the industry. Some will already be stepping up, supervising others or taking on responsibilities beyond their original role, without necessarily having the recognised qualification to reflect what they can do.
Creating clearer development routes for those people can strengthen capability now while helping businesses prepare for what they will need next. And alongside that, apprenticeships continue to provide a route for bringing new talent into construction and developing existing employees through structured workplace learning.
In this month’s update, we’re looking at both sides of that workforce picture: how employers can develop the skills already within their teams, what can make apprenticeships feel difficult to commit to, the role employers can play in creating stronger routes into construction and the training available from our Cumbernauld centre.
Here’s what’s inside:
- Developing the people already in your business
- Qualification spotlight: Occupational Work Supervision
- What’s really stopping businesses from considering apprenticeships?
- Creating clearer routes into construction
- Construction safety training in Cumbernauld
Developing the People Already in Your Business
When you think about developing your construction workforce, it is easy for the conversation to centre on recruitment. But some of the people with the greatest potential may already be working within your business.
They know your sites, your standards and your customers. They have practical experience, they have earned trust and, in many cases, they may already be taking on more responsibility than their job title suggests.
What they may not have is the qualification to match that experience.
Construction apprenticeships are not only a route for bringing new people into the industry. They can also provide a structured way to develop existing employees, formalise the skills they have built through experience and give them a clearer route to progress without taking them away from the workplace to study full time.
That could mean supporting an experienced operative to move towards supervision, developing someone already showing leadership potential or helping an established member of the team gain recognised evidence of the skills they use every day.
For employers, it is an opportunity to strengthen the workforce you already have while creating progression routes that can help you retain good people and build capability for the future.
If you have people within your business who are ready for their next step, we can help you explore the apprenticeship and qualification routes that could support them.
Qualification Spotlight: Occupational Work Supervision
A good site supervisor needs much more than technical experience. They are coordinating people and resources, monitoring progress, maintaining health and safety standards and making sure work is completed to the required specification.
For experienced construction workers already taking on those responsibilities, the SVQ in Occupational Work Supervision at SCQF Level 6 provides an opportunity to turn the skills they are using every day into a nationally recognised Scottish qualification.
The programme is delivered entirely in the workplace, so learners build their evidence around the job they are already doing rather than having to step away from site to study.
Most learners complete within 9 to 12 months, with one-to-one support from a dedicated assessor throughout. Through Kingdom Academy, learners can also be supported with SSSTS and the CSCS touchscreen test, while the SVQ itself provides a recognised route towards the Gold CSCS Supervisor Card.
For eligible learners in Scotland, a Modern Apprenticeship funding contribution may also be available.
If you have experienced operatives who are already stepping up, supervising others or taking on more responsibility, this could be the route that gives them the qualification to match.
Are Apprenticeships Really Too Difficult for Your Business?
For some construction employers, apprenticeships can feel like a bigger commitment than they are ready to make.
And there are practical reasons for that. Finding time for supervision, understanding the funding, managing administration, maintaining productivity and investing in someone without knowing whether they will stay with the business are all reasonable considerations.
They are also worth exploring properly before deciding an apprenticeship simply will not work.
The right starting point is not trying to fit a business around an apprenticeship programme. It is understanding what the business actually needs, who it wants to develop and whether there is a training route that can work around the realities of the workplace.
That includes looking at available funding, how learning and assessment will work, what support the employer and learner will receive and how development can fit alongside the demands of a busy construction environment.
An apprenticeship will not be the right answer for every role or every business. But if concerns around time, cost or practical delivery have stopped you considering one before, it may be worth revisiting the conversation.
Creating Clearer Routes Into Construction
Developing existing employees is one part of the workforce challenge. Construction also needs to make it easier for new people to see a route into the industry.
Recent research from the Federation of Master Builders Scotland highlighted just how important the connection between training and employment can be. 62% of Scots surveyed said a guaranteed job at the end of training would make them more likely to encourage a young person into construction.
For employers, taking on and developing new talent is a significant commitment, particularly for smaller businesses. It requires time, supervision and investment, as well as confidence that the training route will work for both the learner and the employer.
That is why strong relationships between employers and training providers are so important.
Training needs to reflect the skills businesses actually need, while employers need practical support to understand the routes, funding and development options available to them.
If Scotland is going to strengthen its construction workforce for the long term, we need both: clearer routes into the industry for new talent and better support around the employers creating those opportunities.
Construction Safety Training in Cumbernauld
Qualifications and apprenticeships are only part of workforce development. Keeping skills current and making sure people have the right safety training for their roles matters too.
Our dedicated training centre in Cumbernauld provides accredited CITB Site Safety Plus and wider industry safety training for construction professionals and employers across Scotland.
Courses available include SMSTS, SMSTS Refresher, SSSTS, SSSTS Refresher, Health and Safety Awareness, SEATS, Cable Avoidance, Abrasive Wheels and Manual Handling, alongside CITB Health, Safety and Environment touchscreen testing for CSCS applications.
We can support individual learners as well as employers looking to train groups, with additional on-site and regional delivery options available.
So whether you have people stepping into supervisory roles, qualifications that need supporting with additional training or teams whose certifications need bringing up to date, we can help you work out what is needed.
Building Skills From Within and Bringing New Talent Through
There is no single answer to the skills challenges facing construction.
For some businesses, the priority will be finding new people. For others, there are experienced employees already showing the potential to take the next step. Often, it will be a combination of both.
What matters is creating routes that work for the people involved and for the realities of the business, whether that means an apprenticeship, a recognised qualification, safety training or a longer-term development plan.
If you are looking at the skills you will need over the coming months and years, get in touch with our team. We can help you explore the options and find the right route for your workforce.