The Institute of Carpenters (IOC) will receive funding over two years from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to enable the development, testing and delivery of the IOC Mentoring Champions programme, initially across six IOC member colleges in England, Scotland and Wales.
The programme will connect cohorts of individual learners and apprentices with mentor volunteers, drawn from the IOC membership.
Long established in their careers in wood, the IOC mentors have delivered countless jobs for clients, and often experienced a major change of trajectory as life demands; be it family, work or the economy. The IOC and CITB believe that mentoring can help bring resilience and retention through support and a new perspective.
Such support from the wider community of those working in wood-related trades and crafts will help the transition from training into careers in construction and will lead to a positive impact for learners and apprentices entering, remaining in, and pursuing careers within the construction industry.
The grant is part of CITB’s ongoing investment into improving outcomes for apprenticeships through innovative approaches that work for employers as well as learners and training providers.
Mentoring is an effective way to improve performance and increase retention rates in apprenticeships. It can also help learners gain confidence and self-esteem, as well as develop new skills.
This grant-funded project will also provide mentoring skills training for the IOC mentor volunteers as well as support for them to develop their knowledge about problems facing young adults. The mentors will learn to identify these potential issues and support and procedures will be in place to get their mentees the assistance they might need. Overcoming these challenges helps to achieve success in their training programmes and secure long-term employment in the construction sector.
This project will also link to the IOC’s Timber Industry College Hubs, an initiative which connects timber supply chain businesses to colleges, tutors and students in their regions. In showcasing the range of employment opportunities, students can see how their much-needed qualifications and training can be applied in the real world.
President of the Institute of Carpenters, Geoff Rhodes, said: “As the landscape in the UK continues to evolve into one which recognises the importance of training in craft skills and apprenticeships, we are excited to announce that the IOC Mentoring Champions initiative has won such strong support from CITB.
“We knew this concept was not just good, but absolutely necessary as it meets all the key points that CITB and the government have been calling for on behalf of the construction industry.
“As a nation, we still need to be doing more, but we celebrate CITB’s recognition of this initiative, and our perseverance.”
Barry Dawson, a Senior Customer Engagement Manager at the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), said: “CITB understands the importance of mentoring in encouraging career entry, progression, and retention.
“There are fundamental links between the mentoring concept that the IOC proposed and our own strategic plans.
“This IOC mentoring project is one example of how this concept can be developed. There is absolute merit in the IOC’s Mentoring Champions project and the benefits it will bring to learners, apprentices, colleges and industry. We look forward to working with the team at the IOC to deliver this inspiring and potentially game-changing project.”
For more information, visit www.instituteofcarpenters.com and www.citb.co.uk.