Back-up support vital to get firms moving on

Sep 3 2008 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

IAN HUNTER is a company development advisor in Liverpool for ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry.

He works with construction companies to deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified construction workforce. He lives in Prescot with his wife and their three children. This was his working day:

8am: I start the day reading e-mails and finalising my diary appointments. I spend most days on the road travelling to different construction companies across Liverpool, so I often grab breakfast at my desk while putting the final touches to paperwork for the day’s visits.

9am: Hit the road for my first appointment of the day. We offer such a wide range of support to companies that my time at each appointment can vary. I try to plan long enough with each client to discuss bespoke support for their company, but also talk them through ways in which they could be getting additional help or funding to make their business more successful.

10am: Arrive at my first appointment. This company is preparing a training and development plan. At our last meeting, I talked them through the benefits of producing a plan, so today’s aim is to identify how we can make their workforce as skilled as possible and how their business will benefit from additional staff training and developing their expertise. The ConstructionSkills training plan pays an allowance to companies using structured training so they get financial help in developing the skills of their workforce.

Noon: Grab some lunch and catch up on missed calls on the way to my second appointment. Spending most of the day travelling and at meetings means I have lots of voicemail messages to deal with throughout the day.

I get a message from a local construction firm interested in signing up for one of the free workshops we run. They help to equip companies with the skills to grow their business and help them compete for and win a wide range of contracts.

Developing a successful business is challenging, to say the least. It can be a lonely road with difficult choices to make. Sometimes companies – especially embryonic ones – need to take a step back from day-to-day activity to think about the future of their business.

1pm: My second meeting of the day. This is my first visit to this company, a specialist timber roofing business. They are proactive in their training but have never claimed grant support. Part of my role is to tell companies about our grant scheme and how it can fund training.

The company is thinking of taking on apprentices, and I offer information about ConstructionSkills’ apprenticeships and the grants available to support the development of new trainees.

ConstructionSkills introduced Programme Led Apprenticeships (PLAs) last year, an alternative route from Traditional Apprenticeships. PLAs provide young people already on a full-time, college-based construction courses with work placements of up to 12 months, to help them meet the practical elements needed to attain NVQ Level 2.

3pm: My third appointment is to register a new company. Our companies range from small family-run businesses and small firms to multi-site national corporations. This particular company is a fledgling business which has recently taken on an apprentice.

Because of our strong links with local colleges, the business was referred to us for advice on grant aid. I explain the grant funding available for apprentices, which is a much-needed boost to the company’s finances that will help to pay for their trainee’s development.

4.30 - 6.30pm: Ambushed at the door by the kids, I log back onto my computer, pick up the remainder of the day’s e-mails and write up my reports. I also use this time to return any missed calls, respond to messages and spend a time preparing for the following day’s visits.