BiKBBI NEWS - APPRENTICESHIPS

APPRENTICESHIPS - ENSURING THAT OUR INDUSTRY WILL SURVIVE AND THRIVE

Stephen Johnson, UK Managing Director, Quooker Your company has recently made a substantial financial investment into the BiKBBI Apprenticeship Scheme. Have you always been aware of the challenges facing the industry regarding a sizeable skills gap?

Throughout the pandemic and resultant lockdowns, we have tried to support the wider industry wherever possible. During a crisis such as this, brands are faced with two choices. To shrivel up and remain inward focused, or to work together sharing expertise and resources, to help the industry re-build, recover and thrive. As a company, we have become increasingly conscious that bigger brands have a wider responsibility of care, wherever that support is needed most.

As we have weathered the COVID-19 storm and looked at how our own workforce operates, this crisis has been helpful in shining a light on the sizeable, and growing, skills gap the UK is facing. High consumer demand for installation and after-sales care is increasingly unable to be met with any speed and in many cases, without any guarantee of quality. No matter how many taps we sell or indeed any kitchens and bathrooms across the industry, if there are not enough installers to keep pace, there is an inevitable bottleneck. As such, it’s an area that requires drastic change and immediate support.

What was the trigger that made you decide to look further into discovering how you could help? industry initiatives throughout the pandemic. These have included job support schemes, redundancy workshops, and financial support schemes for our dealers and driving footfall to the independent showrooms through activity with the KBSA. So, when I saw a LinkedIn post from BiKBBI’s own Damian Walters calling for support and brands willing to help drive genuine change to grow the next generation of KBB installers, I knew we couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I got in touch and the rest is history!

Following Quooker’s amazing investment of a six figure sum into the BiKBBI Apprenticeship Scheme, The Installer Magazine team spoke to the company’s UK Managing Director, Stephen Johnson, to get a better understanding of why he and his colleagues felt that the time was right to support this incredibly important and worthy initiative.

It’s not a small investment, how did your colleagues and peers internally react when you first spoke of your intentions?

The main reaction was one of confusion. Like myself, they did not fully appreciate the severity of the problem this country is facing with regards to installers and fitters. It wasn’t the size of the investment that caused this confusion, but simply that the problem is not widely discussed or appreciated. What I hope our three-year investment has done is make both my colleagues and the wider industry aware of the task ahead.

It’s easy to say we want to develop the apprenticeship scheme, but do you foresee it developing by taking baby steps initially, or can it happen much quicker?

The growing skills gap is only going to worsen if decisive and real action is not taken now. We cannot afford to wait years for this to change. Proper and sustainable foundations need to be in place for this to happen, and I am under no illusion that will take time. However, as anyone who knows either myself or Damian will be aware that we are very driven, motivated individuals – if we have anything to do with this, we will make it happen as quickly as possible!

Do you feel women have a greater part to play in the development of apprenticeships? And if so, what do you feel can be done to attract women to a career that maybe would not have even been on their radar when leaving education?

One of my concerns with the current state of the installer market, is the distinct lack of diversity with regards to gender and ethnicity. We wish to address this within our own business and through the scheme more widely. Women absolutely have a greater part to play in apprenticeship schemes and it is down to the industry to allow this to happen.

One of the best ways this can be achieved is to raise the profile of installers and fitters. It has been the case for too long that they are treated as second-class citizens. We want to change this perception and instil real value back into the role which is so crucial to the industry’s ability to bounce back. To include more women in the wider installer workforce, there has to be better education and awareness of the profession - through the Centres for Excellence and grass-roots outreach in local schools and colleges, the goal is absolutely to train up more women to be a part of the larger installer workforce.

The whole reason for this initiative is to increase the number of apprenticeships in the KBB sector. There aren’t a lot currently out there, and it is our sincere intention to change that.

works to offer a career to retiring serviceman from the armed forces, what do you think of this initiative?

This initiative is brilliant and one we wholeheartedly support. Service men and women have so much to offer the industry and to be able to offer those retiring from active service a career as a fitter or installer can only be a good thing.

What would you say to kbb installation companies out there who to this point, haven’t employed apprentices?

The whole reason for this initiative is to increase the number of apprenticeships in the KBB sector. There aren’t a lot currently out there, and it is our sincere intention to change that. As a company, we have recently introduced a mentoring scheme which looks to pair up experienced installers with younger team members. This will allow the sharing of industry tips and unparalleled product knowledge which is something that can only truly be learnt on the job. By offering this practical training scheme our hope is that we produce installers and fitters who are more confident and better qualified for future jobs. When it comes to hiring apprentices, we must all be willing to invest in individuals. We know training takes time and money, but if more KBB companies were open to this, the skills gap would significantly reduce rapidly. And finally, what would you say to other manufacturers to encourage them to stand alongside you by investing and developing the BiKBBI Apprenticeship Scheme?

Installation is one of the most important parts of our industry. Every manufacturer needs them. It is the lasting taste a customer or company feels about your business. Therefore, for me, there is no question in that we need to place more value on installers and think carefully about how we collectively work together to ensure there is a next generation of qualified and highly competent individuals to ensure we have a good supply. Put simply, if we do not, business fails. Partnering alongside the BiKBBI, we cannot urge other companies more strongly to stand with us and be willing to help fix this problem. If you wish to join Quooker by investing into the BiKBBI Apprenticeship Scheme or you have an installation business that is willing to take on an apprentice or two, please contact:

erin.sealy@bikbbi.org.uk