STUDENT MEMBERSHIP

ASFP Commercial Manager Rich Green outlines the ASFP’s initiative to encourage new entrants to the passive fire protection industry

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) is extremely pleased to announce another milestone project launch for 2023 with the ASFP Academic Pathway offering FREE Membership to students with an interest in passive fire protection (PFP).

As the world of construction grows and the changes brought forward by the Building Safety Act creates more work, there has never been a better time to work in the PFP industry. But where are we going to find the additional personnel needed to meet this new demand? The answer is, among the leaders of tomorrow, students. We must reach out and support the next generation of PFP experts and provide them with a route into our industry.

The skills shortage in construction

The skills shortage in the construction industry has been a growing concern for construction companies, and as time goes by, this problem is becoming more pressing. One of the main reasons for the UK construction skills shortage is the aging workforce, with many construction workers reaching retirement age and fewer people entering the industry to replace them. The UK Government had pledged to build 300,000 new homes each year, but evidence suggests the workforce is not large enough to deliver such a high target.

The lack of suitable, qualified candidates will directly affect the industry-fulfilling projects. The UK job board CV-Library found that in Q3 of 2020, construction vacancies increased by a huge 213.4%. Despite the massive number of job postings coming from the industry, according to CHAS, the construction sector had a quarter-on-quarter 53.9% decline in applications per vacancy.

How can you help?

Our initiative is far from finished. We would like to hear from our members and universities which offer fire-related courses, and from other interested academic institutions so that we can reach out to more students and help to provide a pathway for them to enter the world of PFP.

Rich Green, ASFP’s Commercial Manager, states:

‘In 2023, we would like to hear from universities and academic bodies from the UK and around the world who would like to investigate being part of this programme and to help us to support their students in becoming the next generation of passive fire professionals.’

What we offer students

• Free Online Introduction to PFP course: This 3-hour online course provides an overview of PFP (covering key elements of design, installation, and inspection)

• Free technical webinars: ASFP offers a wide range of PFP related webinars

• Free access to documents: Full access to a wide range of technical guidance, documents, best practice guides, and publications, including the ASFP Colour Books

• A whole lot more: Check the ASFP website for details www.asfp.org.uk/page/ Membership_Student

Help us to secure our industry for the next generation.

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