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Iain McIlwee

New Trailblazer Apprenticeship assigned £14K funding for delivery

FIS is proud to announce that we have secured £14K funding for the delivery of the new Interior Systems Trailblazer Apprenticeship in collaboration with a host of industry partners. This flagship project has been a culmination of three years of work resulting in the development of a Level 2 Apprenticeship.

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BDC 319 : Aug 2024

Iain McIlwee

New Trailblazer Interior Systems Installer Apprenticeship at Leeds College of Building

Leeds College of Building is now offering the Interior Systems Installer Apprenticeship, focusing specifically on the drylining pathway. This is a Level 2 qualification and typically takes two years to complete. Working in partnership with British Gypsum to deliver the course, it includes the supply of materials, training and keeping apprentices up-to-date with product development. If you are interested, get in touch with the Apprenticeship Team on 0113 222 6041 or email wbl@lcb.ac.uk For full details click here. Key facts Where will the apprentice study? Leeds College of Building Funding band: £1400, non-levy employer contribution £700 Apprentices start: Sept 2020, however early demand could bring the first wave forward to February 2020. Apprenticeship Training Costs: If you are an apprenticeship levy-payer you could fund this course through your levy payments, and for non-levy payers you will be required to contribute 5% of the course cost. If you are a non-levy payer and have less than 50 employees and take on a 16-18 year old apprentice the course will be free. Regardless of whether you are a levy/non-levy paying company, you can claim a one-off incentive of £1,000 for taking on a 16-18 year old apprentice. The college will also support apprentices from out of the area by accommodating them free of charge in a city centre hotel whilst they are in college and also help with the travel costs. With around 60,000 Dryliners active in the UK, Drylining must, as a trade be one of the UK’s best kept secrets.  Everybody knows what a plasterer or a carpenter is, but you often get blank looks when you talk about drylining.  The fact is that drylining is now emerging as one of the key trades in construction.  It is encouraging to see leading colleges like Leeds evidencing this by getting behind it.  We now have a new Apprenticeship Standard, new providers and the new funding allows real flexibility about age of apprentices.  We are also seeing significant increases in the CITB funding available for companies who take on apprentices – this is over and above the funding that you can get to cover the training.  This is a huge opportunity to make 2020 the year of the apprentice, for the sector to embrace this standard as a catalyst for change, to revisit how we invest in training and work with colleges and providers to put drylining firmly on the careers map. Iain McIlwee, FIS chief executive

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New Trailblazer Apprenticeship assigned £14K funding for delivery

FIS is proud to announce that we have secured £14K funding for the delivery of the new Interior Systems Trailblazer Apprenticeship in collaboration with a host of industry partners. This flagship project has been a culmination of three years of work resulting in the development of a Level 2 Apprenticeship.  The Interior Systems occupations are both skilled and very diverse in their needs and hence it was very important to develop a model that is fit for purpose and simple for sector delivery. The end result is a Level 2 Apprenticeship that provides a core and two pathway options across a minimum of 18-month delivery. The working group, chaired by Helen Tapper from Tapper Interiors and vice president of FIS, comprised a broad group of representatives from the whole sector, including manufacturers, sub-contractors, colleges and training providers to ensure all stakeholder perspectives were covered. FIS co-ordinated the development with the Institute for Apprenticeships &Technical Education (IfATE). Helen Tapper, vice president of FIS said “this is the first time that a ‘Trailblazer’ Apprenticeship has been developed for our sector, following on from FIS becoming a consensus federation. This gives our sector the status and recognition that it so rightly deserves.  It was an honour to chair a group who worked methodically and thoroughly to produce a standard, that is fit for the future of our sector. I am grateful to all group members who so readily gave their time to produce both the standard and the end point assessment” The working group agreed that a core and pathway options approach was the only way to provide the sector with the right skilled outcomes for each individual entering the industry. The core incorporates the standard skills and knowledge required of any interior systems installer and requires an end point assessment separate to a final one for their chosen specialist area. The options are -: –      Drylining – methods to install different drylining systems that form the walls and rooms within a building, often used to hide wires and pipes whilst improving acoustics and create space for insulation. –      Ceiling and partitions – incorporates different ceiling and partition systems within a building. used to provide different types of working environments, taking account of lighting and other fixtures. Training providers and FE colleges are now being invited to apply to deliver the standard in readiness for the new academic year. FIS have already got interest from employers in all regions interested in taking on new apprentices identified through the forward planning of FIS Skills Clinics we’ve run with our members. FIS have developed an excellent network of college and training provision that underpins all the training developed for the sector and are always keen to add more to this. Hopefully, now this standard is available for delivery and we can widen the network to enable more employers to access and encourage new entrants into the industry. Iain McIlwee, CEO at FIS said “this new standard will help raise awareness of the fantastic career opportunities and attract the 1500 new entrants needed in the finishes and interiors sector”

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