Addressing the kbb skills crisis

HUGE INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS KBB SKILLS CRISIS UNVEILED BY BiKBBI

The BiKBBI is excited to offer installers easy and affordable access to apprentices with a ground-breaking employer package for its new apprenticeship programme.

The KBB Fitted Interiors Apprenticeship Programme is set to provide hundreds of youngsters with career opportunities within the KBB installation sector, tackling immediate worker shortages and longer-term skills gap challenge. Key initiatives built within the programme include:

• A new national network of BiKBBI approved Centres of Excellence to ensure apprentices will receive a first class foundation to their installation career;

• A compelling package of support that enables installers take on apprentices without having to deal with recruitment, employment or training complication;

• A promotional campaign, backed by six figure support, to drive interest in taking up apprenticeships among young people across the country.

The BiKBBI is calling on the industry and installation businesses of all sizes to support the long-term future of the industry’s workforce by promoting the apprenticeship programme and ultimately supporting businesses to take on an apprentice, safe in the knowledge that doing so will be hasslefree with support from BiKBBI.

The invitation comes thanks to a groundbreaking package of tailored support for installation businesses that the Institute has developed in collaboration with strategic partners. With demand for installation higher than ever, the new BiKBBI support package offers installation businesses a fast track to the workers they need for their businesses to continue to deliver and grow during these times of unprecedented demand.

The apprenticeship package that BIKBBI has developed comprehensively addresses:

Procat - the BiKBBI's first Centre of Excellence • The recruitment of high-quality apprentices, including advertising vacancies, vetting applicants and carrying out all eligibility checks

• All employment administration, including contracts and paperwork, health and safety checks, and running payroll for the apprentice

• All of the training requirements, including placing the apprentice with an accredited training provider (BiKBBI Centre of Excellence), monitoring the apprentice’s progress and arranging for the end point assessment needed to complete the apprenticeship;

• All performance management and support for the apprentice - freeing up the installation business to focus on the work itself

• The process to complete the apprenticeship, ensuring that the apprentice is ready to transition into the next phase of their career.

Recognising that most installers are small businesses having to carefully watch costs, The BiKBBI’s package means that apprentices can be employed and have all wages and other costs covered for as little as £210 per week.

'The BiKBBI is calling on the industry and installation businesses of all sizes to support the long-term future of the industry’s workforce by promoting the apprenticeship programme and ultimately supporting businesses to take on an apprentice, safe in the knowledge that doing so will be hassle-free with support from BiKBBI.'.