Blog: Apprenticeship Initiative Winners 2018

06 November 2018

Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC)

The very much saught-after Apprentice Initiative Award, sponsored by CoTrain, was presented to CETC (Civil Engineering Training Centre) on the 28th June at the annual awards dinner at The Royal Lancaster, London, where construction industry professionals waited in anticipation to find out the results following a thorough and robust judging process in all 16 categories.

CETC is a partnership between Solent Civil Engineering Employers Group (SCEEG) and Fareham College. It is a simulated construction site that has been designed to give civil engineering apprentices a realistic training environment to get them site-ready. SCEEG provides governance to the apprenticeship programme and comprises employer members, associate members such as CECA, suppliers and construction companies outside of civil engineering such as Taylor Wimpey. Day-to-day, the centre is managed by a site manager and training delivered by experienced civil engineering operatives.

The project supports the development of the existing workforce in a practical way that is not only cost and time efficient, but also re-engages the workforce with skills that are of value to both the individual and the employer. CETC has attracted national attention and government interest as an example of an employer led, co-designed apprenticeship. Due to the programme’s success, proposals for a new £4.1m ‘CETC 2’ campus have been awarded preliminary funding of £2.8m from Fareham College and the Solent LEP for an estimated Autumn 2019 completion.

This is a practical scheme that not only addresses the skills shortage but importantly the lack of ‘suitable’ apprenticeship standards and low levels of funding available. It has achieved the right staff ratio to deliver first class training and, at an early stage, apprentices are fully aware of what is expected of them, especially in the winter months.

 Darren Birch, Regional Framework Manager, BAM Construction Ltd and head judge for this award commented, “The Apprenticeship Initiative category seeks forward-thinking employers that actively and innovatively develop a sustainable workforce by equipping young people with skills, knowledge and confidence. The Civil and Engineering Training Centre (CETC) is an exemplary model of an employer-led apprenticeship programme that is co-designed to meet skills shortages and productivity issues.”

If you have an apprenticeship/training programme that you believe deserves recognition in 2019, register your interest in the Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2019 here. We open for entries on the 19th of November 2018 for works carried out in 2018. The closing date is for entries is February 18th 2019.