A government-backed competition is offering up to £600,000 of funding to firms with innovative ideas on how to raise the industry’s skills in offsite construction.
The competition has been set up by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) in response to its own research in 2013 which showed that although the UK’s off-site construction industry has significant growth potential, it could be hampered by a lack of skills.
It the first competition to be run by the UKCES under its UK Futures Programme, which aims to set up pilot programmes to develop new ways of getting relevant skills into the offsite sector to fuel its growth.
Construction companies can submit proposals on ways to improve training and qualifications, or encouraging businesses to work together to boost growth in offsite construction.
The UKCES is able to invest up to £180,000 for each successful proposal, out of a total funding pot of up to £600,000, with money provided on a co-investment basis with companies.
Proposals are asked to focus on the following areas:
- Ideas for encouraging greater collaboration between professions in offsite construction, which increasingly require an understanding of the interaction between the principles of design, construction, manufacturing and engineering, as well as an understanding of the interaction of different materials.
- Project management skills to effectively manage the interface between the off-site and onsite environment are critical, requiring skills in timing, sequencing and scheduling.
- Design and IT skills
- Marketing and business development.
All bids must meet the core criteria of: demonstrating strong employer leadership/engagement; public and private contributions; innovation; a clear path from problem to solution which demonstrates the potential for impact; testing and shared learning.
Commenting on the competition’s launch, Bill McGinnis CBE, a UKCES commissioner and chairman of offsite manufacturer McAvoy Group, said: “The offsite sector urgently needs to exploit new technologies and the links with manufacturing if it is to meet the demands being put on it – particularly the low-carbon agenda and the pressure to build more low-cost housing. We hope that by making this money available, businesses and training providers can be encouraged to collaborate to design and develop high-quality training and qualifications which will be recognised and adopted right across the sector.”
He continued: “There is no magic bullet to the skills needs of offsite construction, but we want to find out what works by encouraging employers to experiment with bold solutions, taking risks and innovating.”
A webinar briefing for those interested in submitting a proposal will be held on Tuesday, June 3. The deadline for the submission of proposals is midday on Wednesday, 18 June, with interviews for shortlisted bidders to be held on Thursday 24 July, Friday 25, and Monday 28. Successful proposals will be announced by Friday, August 15.
Roan Building Solutions has completed this 270m2 offsite build to replace an existing building and provide a new nursery in just six weeks.This month, Ewell Castle in Surrey officially opened the school’s new nursery building – Chessington Lodge – which replaced an existing modular building to provide a new and sustainable nursery setting, ready for last year’s September intake.
The government is now offering up to £600,000 of funding to firms with innovative ideas on how to raise the industry’s skills in offsite construction.
