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Minister promotes skills for the Green Deal
Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has launched a partnership to ensure the UK has the right skills to implement the Green Deal, the government's flagship policy to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.
The Green Deal aims to enable private firms to offer consumers energy improvements to their homes, communities and businesses at no upfront cost and to recoup payments as a charge in instalments on the energy bill.
The Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA), officially launched by the Minister, is working to create new training and accreditation for the energy assessment, advice and installation workforce - the people who will carry out the improvements. The GDSA is made up of three Sector Skills Councils - Asset Skills, ConstructionSkills and SummitSkills.
Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: "The success of the Green Deal will, in part, come down to having people who have the right skills and knowledge to instil trust. The Green Deal Skills Alliance will help industry face the challenges ahead so people get the right training and qualifications they will need in order to gain work under the Green Deal."
The Green Deal is due to launch in October and could see uptake within 14 million homes and create 65,000 jobs by 2015.
Chief Executive Designate of Asset Skills, Sarah Bentley, said: "The new skills programmes we are introducing as part of the GDSA are important for the UK to meet its targets on cutting carbon. The partnership is running a series of Green Deal Connections events to raise awareness that only those with the right qualifications will be able to secure work from the Green Deal."
Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: "It is vital that firms, particularly SMEs, are able to meet demand for the construction of low carbon technology, as well as knowing how not to fall foul of changing regulations. We want to help SMEs understand the impact of new legislative requirements affecting carbon emissions and develop the right skills to respond to this demand. We need to ensure that government and larger contractors adequately support SMEs in meeting green skills needs."
Keith Marshall, OBE, Chief Executive of SummitSkills, said: "There has been so much talk about Green Deal that not surprisingly many employers tell us they are unsure of where to start to prepare their people to support and take advantage of the initiative. The Green Deal Connections events will guide visitors through the mass of information towards exactly what potential installers of environmental technologies need to know."
The GDSA will develop and implement the Green Deal Competency Framework, which aims to produce common standards and qualifications to sit across all aspects of Green Deal assessment, advice and installation. For more information, contact greendeal@assetskills.org or call 0845 678 2 888.
To register for a Green Deal Connections event, visit http://www.assetskills.org/GreenSkills/GreenDealConnections.aspx
How prepared are you for the new Green Deal? Asset Skills is raising awareness of the following:
New Green Deal Energy Advice National Occupational Standards
Asset Skills has developed new National Occupational Standards for the roles of Green Deal Energy Advisors (domestic and non-domestic) and remote Green Deal Energy Advice.
The standards are currently being signed off by the home nations and will be finalised in line with the Government's Green Deal policy consultation (available on the Department for Energy and Climate Change website).
To view the standards please click here.
Qualification Credit Framework (QCF) units have also been developed but these are being reviewed following recent consultation. Once finalised the QCF units will also be available on the Asset Skills website.
Domestic Energy Assessor - Top Up Learning for April 2012
By April 2012 all Domestic Energy Assessors within England and Wales will be required to undertake additional training in order to produce the new Energy Performance Certificate in domestic property.
Asset Skills has developed a comprehensive, high quality, learning material package aimed at existing Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA) in line with the new EPC requirements. The availability of the material will ensure that learning providers can deliver training as soon as possible before April 2012.
For more information please click here.
The Green Deal Learning Provider Network
As part of the Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA), Asset Skills has been running a series of events around the UK to raise awareness of the skills and training requirements to work within Green Deal.
As part of this work, the GDSA is collating a network of learning providers interested in offering Green Deal Energy Advice and Installer qualifications.
If you would like to be included on this network please contact Lucy Radford at greendeal@assetskills.org.
Green Skills now on Twitter
Asset Skills has launched a Green Skills Twitter feed with updates and information about all Green related activity. Please follow us on: @greendealskills.
Asset Skills has met with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to present the case for funding built environment training in Scotland.
Asset Skills was acting on behalf of other Sector Skills Councils in the built environment when the meeting with Mark Batho took place.
The Scottish Funding Council is the body responsible for the funding of Scottish further and higher education.
Asset Skills was represented by Chief Operating Officer Steven Proudfoot and Head of Asset Skills Scotland Tim Pogson, as well as the new Scotland board chair, Malcolm Cannon and another board member Graeme Hartley, Director of RICS Scotland.
It was a positive meeting, during which Mark Batho suggested the SSCs could submit an investment plan for the sector and was open to further funding difficulties being raised directly with him.
Tim Pogson also attended a small presentation to the very first two candidates ever to pass the brand new level 2 Scottish Vocational Qualification in Facilities Services. The learners are both school caretakers with Perth and Kinross Council. The learning provider was Dundee College.
Elsewhere, Asset Skills hosted a meeting of senior Scottish property leaders to discuss apprenticeships in the sector. The meeting decided that Asset Skills would research and promote existing business administration apprenticeships, tailored to meet the needs of property employers, before committing to the development of specific property apprenticeships for Scotland.
Invitation to Scottish employers to take part in Management and Leadership NOS review
The CfA organisation is reviewing the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Management and Leadership. These standards describe what managers and team leaders need to do, know and understand to carry out their role in a consistent and competent way.
It is currently looking for volunteers with experience in Management and Leadership to support this NOS review. The aim is to update the existing standards so that they reflect current practice, skills and knowledge, ensuring that the required functions carried out by managers and team leaders meet the needs of employers across all sectors of the UK economy.
If you are interested in taking part in this consultation, please register your interest by emailing standards@cfa.uk.com with your name, organisation job title and email address.
An Asset Skills Careers Forum took place last month and gave us the opportunity to discuss with employers, training providers, professional bodies and further and higher education establishments the results and opportunities to come out of the Employer Investment Fund phase 2 bid results.
As a group we are looking at ways of developing contextualised Labour Market Information (LMI) to ensure that career advisers have access to high quality LMI as careers provision across the country is under severe pressure from government cuts.
Asset Skills has also been working with facilities management company OCS to develop a programme introducing FM to schools. The programme will be delivered by OCS and include resources, time and opportunities for students in targeted deprived areas.
This year's annual 'Big Event' in Derbyshire went down very well and provided school students from across the region the chance to explore career options and pick up useful information about jobs, careers, courses and progression routes.
For careers information visit http://www.assetskills.org/CareersandTraining/CareersHome.aspx, email careers@assetskills.org or call 0845 678 2888.
National Apprenticeship certification system launched for England
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, the organisation responsible for representing the voice of Sector Skills Councils, Sector Skills Organisations and their employers across the UK skills system, in conjunction with the National Apprenticeship Service, has launched a new online system to support the statutory certification of Apprenticeships across England.
As the Certifying Authority for Apprenticeships in England, the Alliance will be responsible for issuing certificates upon the successful completion of each Apprenticeship. The new centralised Apprenticeship Certificates England (ACE) system will save Apprenticeship training providers and issuing authorities valuable time, resource and investment and will allow them to track the progress of Apprenticeship candidates.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, John Hayes MP, said: "The Government is restoring practical learning to its rightful place as a hallmark of personal attainment and national pride. Apprenticeships are a gold standard qualification, and it's right that the hard work of people who undertake them should be marked and celebrated.
"In this Olympic year, I am delighted to launch the new national gold, silver and bronze certificates to recognise the success of apprentices. The launch of these awards reflects the sterling achievements of the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils and the National Apprenticeship Service in helping forge a revitalised skills system that meets - and raises - the aspirations of learners and employers."
John Rogers, Executive Chair of the Alliance, said: "I am delighted to be able to announce the launch of ACE, a system that will enable the certification of Apprenticeships in England and will underpin this vital programme.
"Apprenticeships play an important role in the provision of a highly skilled workforce in England and it is vital that we ensure individuals have the right skills, at the right time, to ensure they are best-placed to take advantage of the opportunities that arise as the economy continues to recover."
For more information on Apprenticeship Certificates England (ACE) email ace@sscalliance.org or call 0844 573 2560.
Property training with Hartlepool College
Hartlepool College of Further Education in partnership with Training Synergy has started delivering property qualifications to estate and letting agents across the UK.
The most recent project includes delivering the Apprenticeship in Residential Property Letting and Management to over 100 candidates at estate agencies in London, Newcastle, Bristol and Liverpool.
The college is also delivering the Apprenticeship in the Sale of Residential Property to more than 45 candidates in North Yorkshire.
This work-based qualification allows candidates to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise while learning new skills to achieve a nationally recognised qualification.
Hartlepool College recently moved into a new £53 million campus, and its opening signals a new chapter in the college's development. It has enabled the college to concentrate on its traditional subject areas, while providing a focus on working with partners and employers in emerging sectors, such as the property industry.
Training provider launches in North East England
A new training company has been launched in the North-East of England. Rookwood Training is a sales and lettings training company offering funded nationally-recognised property-based qualifications.
The firm, working in partnership with Hartlepool College, has already successfully delivered property qualifications for a large independent estate agent in the North-East and is now looking to expand throughout the region and into Yorkshire.
The training courses available include the ABBE Level 2 and 3 Certificates in Property covering either Residential Property Letting & Management or Sale of Residential Property.
The work-based assessment covers legislation on sales and lettings as well as business generation but more importantly provides staff with the knowledge and business skills required to reach their full potential without any interruption in their day-to-day work responsibilities.
The company is also looking for estate and letting agents to take on young apprentices.
An estate agency qualification can offer young apprentices a real chance to develop life skills including customer care, telephone and sales skills. For an employer, a motivated young apprentice can often be a great addition to the sales team. All apprentices will follow property-based qualifications ensuring they add great value to their employers' business.
