Face-to-face
In this discussion, Nick Gooderson, head of standards and qualifications at ConstructionSkills, talks with Chris Simpson, education liaison adviser at Wates, Roy Cavanagh, training manager at Seddon Group and John Stopani, director of 14-19 Partnerships, Croydon Borough Wide Consortium, on the subject of recession and its effects, if any, on the Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment (C&BE)
Half way through its second year, the Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment (C&BE) should perhaps be looking at an altogether different state of affairs. It was rolled-out at the start of a recession – a recession that has hit the construction industry particularly hard.
But the current state of affairs for the Diploma in C&BE belies these external and potentially damaging factors.
Nick: The Diploma has recently doubled its uptake figures for new students, so perhaps the recession has not had the detrimental affects some predicted.
John: I’d agree Nick, although it is difficult to judge the extent of the recession’s impact upon the Diploma in C&BE so far. Most of our employer partners are major firms who have been affected by the recession and will to face difficulties throughout 2010, but our consortium has yet to see any drop in employer support.
Nick: So it appears that the recession has had little effect on us so far, but I would imagine that there must be ramifications to come, especially as construction has been hit so hard. As an employer, what are your thoughts on how the Diploma is faring Chris?
Chris: At Wates, we‘re aware that if we drop the momentum that’s been built up around the Diploma, we’ll lose an entire generation of workers; we won’t use the recession as an excuse to stop training and miss out on new talent.
Roy: That’s true; come the upturn, we’ll need young, qualified people and those students currently taking the Diploma in C&BE will be well placed to take advantage of improving market conditions.
Nick: But when will the recession ease? Although we are, officially, out of recession, press coverage suggests we’re not out of the woods yet. Parents, teachers and learners hear a lot in the media about the recession and its effects on construction, so they might opt for different careers; many issues surrounding future take-up of the Diploma in C&BE are related to perception rather than reality.
Chris: The issue in 2010 will be pushing this qualification to parents so they realise its value for their children. They won’t think this is a bad time to study construction if they understand the Diploma better.
Nick: So we need to understand the course and the market better? Much of the negativity in the media is about mainstream construction, but the other built environment industries, for example facility management, are not doing so badly.
Roy: Certainly, and the Diploma is equally about the built environment and construction. It’s a wide sector that contains many opportunities for students, and letting them know this course isn’t just about building will be crucial. Every part of our daily lives is part of our built environment, and we need to make sure we emphasise this.
Nick: The Diploma is collaborative and we’re all trying to counteract the perceived tumultuous nature of the sector during the recession with the message that Construction and the Built Environment is an interesting and diverse sector to consider.
John: I agree and it’s a case of working together. I think the impact would be greater if the Diploma was studied by more pupils. Having been rolled out slowly, it hasn’t been a problem yet because the Diploma is manageable at current levels – if a few employers have to drop out those losses could be absorbed.
Nick: We need to achieve steady growth and this will be a massive achievement in this economic climate. It’s been a real struggle for us compared to other Diplomas because of the media’s negativity surrounding construction and because there’s no precedent for teaching about C&BE in the classroom.
John: This recession is a short term issue and we’re looking to create a workforce for the long term, and integral to that is the Diploma C&BE, which will help provide the quality workforce this country needs to be a success.
Further information
www.constructionskills.net
