EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR KBB COMPANIES TO HELP SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE

In the autumn of 2016 the iKBBI announced a radical and historic initiative to create thousands of apprenticeship opportunities for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom industry, more specifically, for the installation sector.

It is generally acknowledged across a raft of trade bodies and industry commentators that there has been a progressive decline in apprenticeships over the last 30 years across all trade sectors in the UK, including building, engineering, mechanical to name just a few.

The iKBBI was founded to improve kbb installation standards and decided that there could not be a better way to achieve its objectives than by creating a bespoke module that offered structured apprenticeship education that resulted in the awarding of certified qualifications. The thinking being that this would attract high quality young people to the industry who, though not yet experienced in the field, were ready to add their skills to their new employers.

The apprenticeship enterprise forms a key component of the iKBBI’s three core pillars being education, standards and support. The institute is committed to exploring current educational routes whilst researching for the future. Subsequently, the iKBBI turned to PROCAT, a ground- 

“Its fundamental for an institute of our nature to support the industry at grass-roots level as these lads and lasses will form the bedrock of the industry in years to come, the apprenticeships will afford them automatic membership to the iKBBI thus ensuring that the next generation coming into our industry will be well-trained, skilled and will adhere to our high installation standards.”

breaking organisation as the synergy between the two organisations was and is irresistible.

PROCAT was formed by a group of local Engineering employers who wanted a training facility to provide the first year off-the-job training for their craft and technician apprentices. The Engineering Industry Training Board (EITB) provided funding to build an engineering training centre and then invited the employers to appoint the Board of Trustees/Directors to run the centre. In total over 150 were set up across England and they were called Group Training Associations or GTAs. There are currently fewer than 40 GTAs of which PROCAT is the second largest.

Today PROCAT is a specialist college which has been established to meet the workforce development needs of businesses which operate in sectors which are critical to the UK economy. This includes advanced apprenticeships to secure a pipeline of new talent, higher and degree apprenticeships to support advanced engineering capability and bespoke training solutions to develop the expertise and skills of the existing workforce.

iKBBI CEO, Damian Walters, says, “Its fundamental for an institute of our nature to support the industry at grass-roots level as these lads and lasses will form the bedrock of the industry in years to come, the apprenticeships will afford them automatic membership to the iKBBI thus ensuring that the next generation coming into our industry will be welltrained, skilled and will adhere to our high installation standards.” He continued, “The iKBBI is committed to supporting the development of apprenticeships and is already working with schools and training providers on the subject in addition to our work with PROCAT”

The next step of the apprenticeship evolution will involve the formation of a working group to help formulate and steer 

the scheme. Damian explains, “PROCAT and the iKBBI are to form a standards group from employers wishing to help develop just what they want from an apprentice, be it in manufacturing, retail or installation. The group needs to have at least 10 members and they will work with PROCAT and City & Guilds to develop their expectations. I will be networking when attending the celebratory dinner next month at the Houses of Parliament and look forward to building a new future of apprenticeships in this highly skilled area.”

“The iKBBI is committed to supporting the development of apprenticeships and is already working with schools and training providers on the subject in addition to our work with PROCAT.”

Speaking on behalf of PROCAT, Interim Head of Faculty – Building Services, Jerry Whitely says “ We are very excited by our collaboration with the iKBBI and integral to its success is the formation of a group of employers to help develop a module that is sympathetic to the standards expected of an apprentice, be it in manufacturing, retail or installation.” He added “The group needs at least 10 members and they will work closely with PROCAT and City & Guilds to help formalise their expectations.” He added “ I look forward to playing my part in creating a new generation of highly-skilled apprenticeships for this very important industry. Those already showing interest in the working group include blue-chip brands: B&Q, Bathstore and John Lewis, This is a unique opportunity for other progressive companies to join the group and make a real difference by helping shape the future of the industry. For more information on the working groups or iKBBI apprenticeships generally contact:

denise.mayell@ikbbi.org.uk