North West Region

…working in partnership with CIC- North West

How is CIC-North West working with ConstructionSkills?

CIC North West has been identified as a key CIC region for its work under the Sector Skills Agenda.

The Construction Industry Council, which represents construction professionals, is a committed partner in ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for construction. Working in partnership with CITB Northern Ireland and CITB-ConstructionSkills, ConstructionSkills aims to provide an integrated approach to training across the entire construction sector. Principally ConstructionSkills aims to address the industry’s three major skills challenges:

• Finding the right people – attracting the brightest and best to our industry and helping to retain experienced and knowledgeable professionals.
• Providing the best possible training – improving the quality of training on offer to meet employers’ needs.
• Looking to the future – ensuring that the future skills needs are addressed.

Which ConstructionSkills projects is CIC-North West currently assisting with?

CIC-North West is currently supporting the following projects:

• The ConstructionSkills Undergraduate Development Programme. View more information.
• The North West Employer Panel (Please see below for further information).
• Recruitment of Construction Ambassadors to aid future recruitment. View more information.
• Promotion of the Inspire Scholarship scheme to include both recruitment of new employers to join the scheme and promotion of the scheme to school leavers.
• Promotion of the Positive Image campaign to aid future recruitment. View more information
• Promotion of Business Improvement packages.
• Support for the STEP scheme. View STEP Employer Pack and Applicant Pack

What is the North West Employer Panel?

CIC-North West recently became the second region to establish a regional Employer Panel, with the group’s first meeting taking place on 27 th February 2006. The Panel members are drawn from all professional construction disciplines including architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers and town planners. The Panels play a key role in providing the viewpoint from active practitioners. Primarily they offer:

• Views on actions to reduce skills gaps
• Guidance on initiatives by CIC-ConstructionSkills

Which ConstructionSkills Committees is CIC-North West currently represented on?

CIC-North West currently sits on the following regional Committees:

• Regional Observatory (part of the Construction Skills Network)
• Construction Sector Skills & Productivity Alliance
• Financial and Professional Sector Skills & Productivity Alliance
• National Skills Academy for Construction Regional Partnership

Who can I contact for further information about ConstructionSkills activities in conjunction with CIC-North West?

For further information please refer to www.constructionskills.net/professionals