With members completing nominations for the 2023 Master Builder Awards, we can confirm that the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh will be the venue for the Scotland Awards ceremony. We will also run the Scotland AGM on the same day (Friday 9 June) as the awards ceremony, to make the most of the date for members. Join us for a three-course celebration dinner and to find out who our Scotland winners will be.
Engaging with colleges
In late January, Gavin Farquhar of FMB member company Rae Brown & Co Ltd and I met senior staff at North East Scotland College (NESCOL). We had a forthright conversation on issues Gavin’s firm was experiencing on the college’s ability to deliver construction apprenticeship training. Thereafter I hosted a joint event at Aberdeen Football club with the CITB.
The weather (gloriously sunny and 16 degrees celsius) prevented some local members from attending. Especially as the previous weeks snow and ice in the area disrupted build programmes. That said I enjoyed meeting with Pamela and Dawn from Burns Construction Ltd and learning more about their business.
Mixing it up in the Merchant City
In early February I caught up with Scotland Board member Ross Taylor in Glasgow’s Merchant City before meeting Alison Thewliss MP. As well as providing an overview of our members work in Scotland, I discussed some wider policy issues and opportunities for FMB members. Most notably on retrofitting domestic buildings and our efforts to drive standards and quality in construction. Thereafter I attended the Constructed Awards and Showcase in Glasgow. Here I met David Sibbald, MD of Sibbald Training: we agreed to follow up to see if his firm could assist FMB members.
On the topic of assisting members, we are aiming to talk to a couple of local builders’ merchants to explore mutual opportunities. This followed discussions with Stuart Livingstone and Colin McInnes on our Scotland Board and my attendance at a Builders Merchant Federation event.
Labour, skills and apprenticeships
In almost every conversation with a member I have had, the challenge of recruiting and retaining good people comes up. Scotland’s skills system needs to be fit for purpose for the construction industry. This was the focus of the Cross-Party Group on Construction’s meeting in the Scottish Parliament on 8 February. FMB member Robert Wilson attended and said “Hat’s off to the FMB in setting up this meeting in the Parliament. I am frustrated that the Scottish Government and the skills system don’t seem to prioritise construction apprenticeships. It’s right that the FMB speaks out on behalf of its local members to our elected representatives.”
With the latest Construction Skills Network (CSN) industry forecast for Scotland up to 2027 showing that an extra 19,550 construction workers will be needed from 2023 to 2027, this is no time to ease off the pressure on politicians.
Authors
Gordon Nelson
Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland
