Tag: SECTT

Electrical industry celebrates green skills ahead of Scottish Apprenticeship Week

Scotland’s leading electrical bodies say the industry is leading the way with skills and training to help power the technology of tomorrow – and are urging others to follow in its footsteps to ensure Scotland makes a successful transition to net zero.

SELECT, the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) have released a new video ahead of Scottish Apprenticeship Week that reinforces the range of renewable training currently being undertaken by apprentices.

The film shows how young electricians are receiving a thorough grounding in a wide range of green skills to enable them to cater for our future heat and power needs, including working with electric vehicles, battery storage, solar panels, air source heat pumps and more.

But the bodies also insist that the government, homeowners and wider construction sector must also embrace the opportunities offered by renewables and work together to ensure that the transition to net zero becomes a reality.

Alan Wilson, Managing Director of SELECT, said: “This video aims not only to inspire young learners to become electrical apprentices but also to show that the electrical industry is at the heart of the move to the electrification of society.

“However, we also need to persuade those outwith our industry to be equally committed to the adoption and uptake of green technology to ensure that this training is not in vain and that the electricians of tomorrow emerge into a country that is willing to embrace renewables.”

Fiona Harper, Director of Employment and Skills at SELECT and The Secretary of the SJIB, added: “To ensure that there is a sustainable and healthy pipeline of work for this next generation of electricians, we need the government, the Scottish people and the construction industry to use renewable technology and join us on the transition to net zero.

“Such a transition needs to happen now and we all need to face the reality that we must do it sooner rather than later if we are to secure an energy-efficient future for our children and our children’s children.

“More incentives for the adoption and installation of green technology and clearer advice and information on funding and grants would be a big help in encouraging take-up and ensuring the renewables skills currently being taught are successfully utilised by electrical professionals in the years to come.”

Running from March 4 to 8, this year’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week will again celebrate the value and importance of apprenticeships, with this year’s event focusing on skills generation.

Anne Galbraith, CEO of SECTT, said: “The electrical sector in Scotland is taking the lead in skills generation, with 2,500 young people currently receiving the training necessary to cultivate complex skill sets and lay strong foundations for a long and rewarding career.

“However, the vast depth of knowledge needed to become an electrician can only be obtained by completing the Modern Apprenticeship, and there are no short cuts to equipping electrical professionals with the skills they need to power our country for decades to come.

“If we are to make the transition to net zero safely and securely, it is of the utmost importance that the electricians of tomorrow spend a minimum of four years learning their trade properly and completing a dedicated, tailor-made apprenticeship.”

Sparking an interest in electrical apprenticeships

Scotland’s electrical training body has saluted an “excellent” start to the academic year after the number of electrical apprentices and adult trainees beginning their studies reached a 12-year high.

More than 800 new learners have enrolled on the Electrical Apprenticeship and Adult Trainee Programmes for 2021, with colleges and training centres reporting full classrooms as future professionals take their first steps on the electrical ladder.

The intake is the highest in Scotland since 2009 – and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) says it’s another encouraging sign of the determination to tackle the UK-wide skills shortage .

Barrie McKay, Training and Development Manager at SECTT, which manages high-quality training on behalf of the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB), said: “I’ve been at SECTT for more than 20 years and it’s really encouraging to see a return to such high numbers.

“The figures are particularly satisfying  given the position the industry was in this time last year, when only 500 people began training due to the impact of COVID-19.

“This improved intake illustrates that people recognise that the future is electric and also understand that their personal prospects will be brighter if they’re part of a sector that is going to play a key part in all our lives.”

A total of 2,158 electrical apprentices and adult trainees are currently training in Scotland, including the 715 apprentices and 126 adult trainees recruited for the 2021 intake.

Barrie added: “Not only are the numbers looking good, but the quality of the young people being taken on – both male and female – is really impressive.

“The industry has been concerned for some time about skills shortages as the demand for qualified electricians accelerates, and the enthusiasm and dedication of these new recruits goes a long way to easing these fears and suggesting that there is an appetite to learn among the electrical talent of tomorrow.

“As colleges continue to recover from the challenges of COVID-19, they will now help their students embrace all the modern technologies which will play such a huge part in a greener and more sustainable future.”

SECTT and the SJIB praised employers for taking on apprentices in numbers earlier this year, confounding fears that recruitment could be a casualty of the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both bodies also pointed towards the altered perception of employment in the sector, thanks to the long-running campaign for regulation of the electrical industry spearheaded by SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade association.

Fiona Harper, Director of Employment & Skills at SELECT and The Secretary of the SJIB, said: “The industry as a whole is committed to the next generation of talent coming through, and employers are clearly supportive of creating a pool of highly-trained, highly-qualified personnel to take their business and the sector forward.”

SECTT holds out a helping hand to apprentices made redundant during the COVID-19 crisis

Apprentices made redundant by the fallout from COVID-19 are being offered a lifeline by an industry-focused charitable trust backed by one of Scotland’s largest trade associations.

The Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT), which was established by campaigning electrotechnical trade body SELECT and Unite the Union, has stepped in to work with both trainees and employers to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

SECTT, which manages high-quality training on behalf of the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB), is actively seeking alternative employment for apprentices whose posts have disappeared, and has placed many out “on loan” to companies to keep their training and skill sets up to speed.

It is hoped these employers will now offer the apprentices employment and the opportunity to complete their apprenticeship, with 50% of the young people temporarily placed with other companies now being offered full-time jobs.

The Trust says the number of apprentices being taken on has fallen from a running average of 700 to 380 since the construction industry in Scotland was shut down in March this year. Of the 2,650 apprentices in training, 52 have been made redundant, 29 of them since June 1.

Anne Galbraith, chief executive of SECTT, (above) said: “The Trust is acting decisively because, in times of crisis, not only are training budgets in the firing line, but recruitment freezes close off employment opportunities for young entrants to the workforce.

“SECTT Training Officers have been working urgently on this issue, since not every one of our trainees has access to IT and communications tools, and face-to-face training effectively ceased in March. Working with our approved centres we have been able to offer remote learning for some of the course work.

“Five months is a long time without site or college interaction and it has been proving difficult to engage with some apprentices, but thankfully only a few. The fear is that many are struggling with confidence issues and even fear of going out.

“We have been identifying those at risk and supplying laptops so that they can remain in contact and complete any online course work. SECTT Training Officers have also been operating a business as usual policy and contacting apprentices on a regular basis.

“Having said that, it is very encouraging that most SELECT members are not paying off apprentices and are also trying hard to help those in trouble. Their reaction has been extremely positive. And while recruitment numbers are down, they are rising again every week.

“As well as advice and a friendly ear, we want to be able to support the redundant apprentices to continue at college so that they can complete the stage they are in, as this makes them more attractive to employers.”

Anne added: “My priority is on our current apprentices and ensuring that they can return to college safely and are all able to complete the stages of their apprenticeship. We can then focus on recruitment. All the above supports the Scottish Government’s recovery plans.”

Fiona Harper, The Secretary of the SJIB, said: “We know times are hard and, although the UK Government’s furlough scheme has helped, some businesses are still faced with a challenging economic future.

“In an ideal world, we would want these employers to retain their apprentices where possible, but we also realise that this may not be a realistic option for everyone. However, if the worst does happen, we want apprentices to know that we are here for them and will do our very best to help.

“SECTT has been working extremely hard over these past few months, finding alternate employment for apprentices and placing them with suitable employers.

“SELECT Members should also be saluted for the way they have stepped in and offered to help with much-needed offers of work, helping us to give these would-be electricians hope for the future.”

SECTT was established in 1990 to manage the SJIB Apprentice and Adult Training Schemes. It runs the only industry approved training schemes for electrical apprenticeships in Scotland. The SJIB Schemes are designed to regulate the entry, conditions of service, training and education of all persons in the electrical contracting industry, with a particular focus on apprenticeships. 

SECTT manages the apprentices throughout their training from the first day at college to becoming a qualified electrician. 

For more information, please contact Iain Mason, Director of Communications at SELECT, the Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland, The Walled Garden, Bush Estate, Midlothian EH26 0SB. T:  0131 445 5577. F: 0131 445 5548. E: admin@select.org.uk. W: www.select.org.uk

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