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Time spent on the front line is a platform for future discussions The secondment (October 14-18) of Elizabeth Whatmore, the Head of the DTI's Construction Sector Unit, to three members of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) will help develop the long-term relationship between the two organisations and highlight the issues facing small and medium sized building firms, according to the Federation's director of external affairs, Andrew Large.
Large, who was instrumental in setting up Ms Whatmore's week on the 'front line', believes that the experience benefited both parties, saying:
"It laid a great foundation on which the FMB and DTI can build in terms of consultation on industry issues and the freer exchange of information and sharing of experiences."
Ms Whatmore spent a week following the day-to-day activities of three very different companies, ranging in size from £250K to £9m annual turnover, to find out at first hand the working reality for small and medium sized builders.
"The time on site with the FMB members was invaluable. I appreciated the opportunity to see the issues in real life that I only normally see on paper and I feel the three companies now have a clearer insight into what the DTI does. I gained a greater understanding of just how busy these organisations are, and we at the DTI have to bear this in mind when communicating with them on various initiatives. FMB members can also help themselves by making use of the support service available to them, such as the wealth of information and business guidance available via websites such as www.rethinkingconstruction.org.uk and www.cbpp.org.uk."
Ms Whatmore added that further secondments would be possible - both DTI staff visiting builders and FMB members and employees shadowing DTI personnel.
The experience gave the building firms involved a better idea of the work of the DTI, and all three praised Elizabeth Whatmore for agreeing to meet and work with them. Richard Garland, director of Sandwood, which undertakes mainly public sector work commented:
"We found the exercise very positive. We got a chance to discuss issues such as implementing Egan and the CSCS scheme, bogus self-employment, training, VAT and Quality Mark that face not only ourselves, but many builders in the UK. It is heartening that Elizabeth Whatmore took time to listen to our concerns and understand what makes a company like ours tick. We hope that the time we spent with her fosters further discussions between Government, the FMB and members such as ourselves. We'd certainly encourage DTI people to spend more time talking to typical small to medium sized builders all over the UK to gauge a wide range of opinions."
Graham Merton, managing director of Eaton Gate, a refurbishment specialist in central London, was equally impressed with Ms Whatmore's enthusiasm.
"Ms Whatmore was not only keen to understand the issues affecting us but also the technical and structural aspects of the projects viewed. We found the secondment especially valuable as it gave us a much clearer understanding of the various areas in which the DTI operate and the fact that they are constantly probing to achieve improvements."
First posted: 6 November 2002. Last modified: 6 November 2002.
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Elizabeth Whatmore, Head, Construction Sector Unit, DTI, on the 'green roof' of one of the new Peabody Trust residential care homes in Homer Lane, Hackney with Gerry Lennon, Director of Sandwood Builders.
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Elizabeth Whatmore, Head, Construction Sector Unit, DTI with Tony Rutter, Operations Director (with glasses) and Scott Newton, Foreman Carpenter, both of A.Wilson and Son Builders, at the company workshop in Nazeing, Essex.
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Pictured (L-R) on the site of a private renovation project in Holland Park are Elizabeth Whatmore, Head, Construction Sector Unit, DTI, Graham Merton, MD of Eaton Gate and Martin Simmonds, also of Eaton Gate Builders.
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