Go Construct stem ambassadors
Could you spare some time to go into schools and speak to young people about careers in flooring?
One of the areas of focus that the CFA has identified, is bringing the opportunity of a career in flooring, and the role of a floorlayer as one entry point, to the attention of young people and those making decisions about their future.

Through Go Construct, CITB have joined forces with the STEM Ambassadors scheme to show more young people the wide range of opportunities available in construction. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Construction and Built Environment Ambassadors can play an essential role in inspiring young people to consider a career in construction through a range of activities.

This is a key part of the CFA plan to increase skills and labour with many entry points to primary and secondary schools as well as school leavers.

In real terms, this means giving up some time to go into schools and/or colleges to deliver short presentations, hold workshops, attend careers events with pre-developed demos or exercises based around floor laying, that students can get involved in, or perhaps even hold mock interviews, all of which are designed to help students learn about the possibilities in flooring.

Start by visiting the STEM Ambassadors website (scan the QR codes above) and complete a registration form. Completing the online training exercises is quick and informative, and you can delve as deep as you like, but to complete the basic levels and to become approved, in our experience, takes less than four hours. You can do this in bite-sized chunks and at your own pace, depending on time available. During that time, you not only learn a few things about presentation techniques, but also all important safeguarding best practice.

Finally, you will receive a free Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check that can in fact be used for other activities involving young people where that is required.

The CFA wants to add value, so if you would like to become a STEM Ambassador to promote our sector, please get in touch. We will provide you with further support such as presentation ideas, equipment, and other learning support materials, like practical exercises, if appropriate. Packs include material that students can take away, where focus will be on digital and QR codes so they can remind themselves of what they have learnt (or show an adult) and have quick access to find out more about a career in flooring.

The fantastic thing is we have some amazing opportunities and stories to tell. The businesses we work with include some amazing craftsmen and women (let’s inspire more girls to become floorlayers!) who have a story to tell about their journey. They earn a good wage and if you are looking for a career, the number of business owners or senior managers in flooring who started their own company and began as floorlayers is significant. We just need to share those secrets with lots of kids!

TalentView
The CFA strategy for increasing skills and labour in our industry relies heavily on flooring contractors advertising positions for new entrants into the industry. Ideally, those roles specifically seek people from outside of construction and our sector.

There are many vehicles that can be used which include making links with local job centres, job recruitment websites such as Indeed, Monster and Totaljobs. CFA would encourage our members to consider them all, as finding the right people is so incredibly important.

A further option developed in collaboration with CITB and the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) is Talentview, which we will now explore.

Like all job websites, it offers two main opportunities: for those seeking work — the ability to find vacancies advertised on the site; and somewhere for employers to post those vacancies.

It is also completely free to use for individuals, employers and colleges/universities.

The main difference and unique selling point for Talentview, is that it is entirely construction focused. CFA highly recommends using it.

Site content includes information for: individuals – new to the construction industry:

• Find work experience, traineeships, apprenticeships and your first construction role
• Research great employers and what they can offer you
• Build your profile so local employers can spot you more easily
• Sign up to alerts for jobs and training opportunities where you want to train or work

Employers – that are searching for new talent:

• Showcase your business to talented new recruits
• Promote your training, apprenticeship, and first job vacancies
• Search for suitable local candidates
• Make contact with schools, colleges, and training providers

Colleges and universities — looking to help students get employment in construction:

• Signpost your students to useful careers information and opportunities
• Connect students with employers looking for new talent.

GO Construct
Even if you can find the words to explain what is involved in the role of a floorlayer, there is a lot to take in. Most people, and young people especially, benefit from something they can refer to, to help remind what they have been told, what to expect, what are the options and for a benchmark in areas such as salary expectations.

Go Construct is the ‘go to’ resource recommended by CFA and we have taken some time to ensure the floorlayer content is up to date and relevant to our sector specifically.

Vitally, all the resources we are recommending are being widely promoted and are supported by industry bodies such as CLC and CITB – and they all signpost each other. So, if someone likes the role described, they will also be able to find links to Talentview where jobs will be posted.

The Go Construct site has an A-Z feature allowing candidates to browse all job roles and to search for the type of role that may be of interest. The comprehensive search results detail, among other things, what that role involves, potential earnings and working hours and the various routes into that position. Just make sure you direct people to search for the ‘Floorlayer’ content.

The CFA training guide
The CFA Training Guide aims to be the definitive resource for the latest information about training opportunities in the UK including apprenticeships, qualifications, training courses, funding, and recruitment signposting.

Flooring is a trade built on some established principles but is increasingly innovating, with a wide range of fashions, trends, and installation methods available to specifiers to aid in floor designs and construction solutions. These drive the flooring market forward in leaps and bounds. Flooring is a highly competitive market with a wide range of flooring products available across the residential, commercial, and industrial supply chains.

Technology is at the centre of flooring development and styling trends, with more cost-effective and eco-friendly flooring materials available and quicker and more efficient ‘fast track’ installation methods being launched by the minute. Training within floor laying also needs to innovate and embrace technology, something the CFA are keen to help promote and champion.

The Training Guide includes a variety of training opportunities ranging from short training course, qualifications, recruitment tools and funding to help pay for business training needs. It is important that employers have direct access to this kind of information to make calculated and informed decisions on a wide range of topics; training being one of them.

The CFA provides advice on training as one of its many membership benefits available and is fairly unique in co-founding its own training organisation, FITA (Flooring Industry Training Association), to deliver formal training to the industry.

The combination of short duration courses, qualification support (including NVQ assessment and onsite assessment), industry specific accreditations and clear focus on apprenticeships, means that through both FITA and other supported activities, the CFA is extremely active in signposting AND delivering much of the training the industry needs.

The importance of structured training and a qualification — leading to competence
Central to the challenge to bring talented young people into the floorlaying sector it is imperative that a structured training route is included with clear direction and opportunity to gain a recognised qualification or standard. The CFA have been very proactive in ensuring there are relevant apprenticeships and qualifications that are robust and fit for purpose across the whole of the UK.

• In 2018 — CFA members supported by the CITB, developed the new Floorlayer Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standard and assessment plan for England.
• In 2021 — CFA lobbied CITB to reinstate funding for apprenticeships in our sector, after this funding had been under threat following an earlier review.
• In 2022 — CFA and its members provided the basis of a working group tasked with ensuring that the benchmarks for competent performance in training and qualifications was assured and best reflected current floorlaying activity.

In today’s economy, the opportunity to work in a wide range of settings is overwhelming, with careers in tech, logistics, manufacturing, construction and retail all fighting for future generations of workers. So, the support an employer can offer alongside paid employment is vital when a young person weighs up their first employment opportunities.

Whilst capacity to earn is obviously a major factor in job selection, there are also other key qualities apprentices (and all other employees for that matter) will undoubtedly look for.

Consideration for the employee’s health and wellbeing is essential and ensuring that there are people within the business whom an apprentice (or new employee) can speak to, ideally who are outside the direct chain of command.

Clear goals and structured learning are key to an apprentice’s development, alongside strong targets on how the apprentice will develop the skills required. The amount of time being invested in them by employers and fellow staff will ultimately make or break an apprentice.

It is important to set milestones based around pay structure and completed training in order to motivate learning and increasing competence. Managers who understand and empathise with the learning process, what an apprenticeship entails and what each apprentice is aiming to achieve is also very important.

There is also a link back to one of the main themes of our strategy, and that is that we don’t just need more labour, we need skilled and competent labour and that comes through structured training. We would also suggest that, particularly for young people, there is a moral imperative.

The days of it being acceptable to employ someone, place them with an experienced fitter and hope they develop skills “on the job” are out of step with a modern floor laying industry that embraces diversity and inclusivity and wants and needs to focus on quality, safety, and training.

Training plans
An employee training plan outlines the strategies, activities, skills requirements, company objectives, outcomes and time-frames used to train employees across the business.

A strong employee training plan can contribute greatly to the overall health of a business, providing much more than just a way to train your employees. If done correctly, it can help you handle change, transformation, and disruption within the business.

An employee training plan should not only enhance the skills of employees but should also include strategies to manage unexpected situations, such as loss of staff or an increase in work requiring additional skills and labour in a particular area of the business.

Creating new employee training plans can be a challenge, but CFA have produced a training plan template, complete with suggested content, headings and information that can easily be adapted to fit the training required for your own employees.

Apprenticeship agreement
When employing an apprentice, a dedicated training plan is already established within the Agreement with the training provider, who is responsible for apprenticeship training under the Apprenticeships Regulations 2012.

This regulation states that an Apprenticeship Agreement is required at the commencement of an Apprenticeship for all new apprentices who start their training. The purpose of the apprenticeship agreement is to identify:

• The skill, trade or occupation for which the apprentice is being trained
• The apprenticeship standard or framework connected to the apprenticeship
• The dates during which the apprenticeship is expected to take place
• The amount of off-the-job training that the apprentice is to receive

The Agreement forms part of the individual employment arrangements between the apprentice and employer and is a contract of service.
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