To support members, the FMB has worked hard at speaking out on their behalf to governments around the UK. One of our five key objectives within our strategic plan: Building for Success is Voice. This is about ensuring our voice is effective and widespread within government, industry and the media.
How we’re making members’ voices heard in Scotland
How this achieved varies depending upon the context. In Scotland with our devolved Parliament with powers over apprenticeships, skills, building standards, procurement, planning and housing we have a lot of issues to keep on top of here. So it is up to me to listen to members and explain to Scottish policy makers just how important our members are as local building firms to the construction industry and indeed to Scotland PLC.
Meeting Patrick Harvie MSP
Patrick Harvie MSP
On 15 November FMB Scotland’s President Alastair Raitt and I met with (the very long titled) Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights. Our focus was on the first third of the Minister’s title: Zero carbon buildings. Alastair explained to the Minister that the hierarchy of regulatory systems: planning, building standards and health and safety needs to be examined. This because, quite frankly there are conflicts between the current regulatory systems which have to be ironed out if existing homes and buildings are to have energy retrofit measures (from fabric upgrades to heat pumps) installed.
The FMB has been campaigning for a national retrofit strategy. One of the central arguments in this that it is vital to involve the skills, capacity and willingness of FMB members as quality local building firms to deliver energy retrofit works to our homes. Otherwise, decarbonising our existing homes and delivering net zero will not be possible.
The Minister was receptive to the points Alastair and I made and our engagement will continue.
Meeting Jamie Hepburn MSP and Monica Lennon MSP
The next day I was back in the Parliament to meet (the equally long titled) Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training. Here I was joined by Monica Lennon MSP, other Scottish trade federations and Unite the Union. Given the issues at play, it was best for us to join forces with others. Not even the FMB can do it all on its own!
The Minister heard from us about two issues. One was the ongoing problems with the qualification process for construction craft apprentices in Scotland. Some FMB members and their apprentices are already impacted by this. The other concerns a Scottish Government funding cap on apprenticeships for this year. In short, there are over 350 Scottish craft apprentices whose places as apprentices are currently unfunded owing to government funding cuts.
We urged the Minister to act now to protect these apprentices. The construction industry, I argued, is a keystone industry for Scotland. It is ludicrous that in the midst of a chronic skills shortage, our skills system cannot accommodate young people who want to work in the industry. On this matter I expect to have more of an update for members in December. However, please reach out to me if you want to find out more and especially if you have apprentices impacted by the funding problems.
Authors
Gordon Nelson
Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland
