Olympic Training Proposals Threaten to Accelerate Deskilling in the Construction Industry

Construction union UCATT have warned that proposals to provide construction training for young people on the Olympics, actually amounts to a deskilling policy and are contrary to the Government’s proposals on apprentices.

The Olympic Authority last month launched a report: Olympic Delivery Authority Employment and Skills Strategy: Jobs Skills futures. The report attaches much significance to the fact that over 1,000 young people from local boroughs will receive training on the Olympics.

UCATT have discovered that 90 per cent of this training will only be to NVQ level 2 (the equivalent of 4 GCSE’s at grade A-C) rather than at NVQ level 3 (the equivalent of 2 A levels).

The policy for the Olympics is contrary to the Government backed Leitch Review and the recently published Government report: World Class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All, published early this year. Both reports call for an increase in the number of apprenticeships being offered at NVQ Level 3.

The difference is that NVQ level 3 produces a fully qualified craftsperson, whereas at level 2 workers only have some of the necessary skills. If young workers are not fully trained then they will struggle to find the most skilled employment in the industry and will be forced to take lower paid jobs throughout their career

Over £38 million of public money is being invested in order to create a national Skills Academy for Construction at the Olympics.

Rather than a traditional work based apprenticeship (with four days on site and one at college) the majority of Olympic training will be on a programme–led basis with trainees having two years entirely classroom based training followed by just nine months on site experience. When they leave college the youngsters could be paid as little as £80 a week, a craft based apprentice after two years of study can expect to be paid at least £238 per week.

UCATT have been campaigning to ensure that young people entering the construction industry have proper skills. It is estimated that the industry needs 87,000 skilled new entrants every year. Currently the numbers of apprentices are plummeting, last year only 7,500 construction apprentices found an employer through the main construction body Construction Skills, despite over 50,000 young people applying for a place.

Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: “The realisation that the Olympic Authority tried to sneak out the fact that the vast majority will only be offered to NVQ level 2 is vastly disappointing. This country is crying out for young skilled construction workers. The Olympics were a golden opportunity to create a skills legacy. That opportunity is in danger of being missed.”

UCATT are further concerned that the decision by the Olympic Authorities not to offer NVQ level 3 qualifications will encourage other employers also to effectively reduce their skills training requirements.

Harry Cohen MP, whose London constituency is in one of the five Olympic boroughs, has asked a series of parliamentary questions about the apparent deskilling, he said: “The Government has published a set of skills standards. It looks like the Olympic Authorities have taken no account of these policies and are in fact taking a step backwards.”

For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235