We are acutely aware that this year, and the past 12 months, have been – for certain people and companies – incredibly tough. It’s with not inconsiderable relief then that the industry likely welcomes the Federation of Master Builders’ recent announcement that:
“Spring has brought green shoots of recovery in the construction sector, with a 1.6% monthly rise in output in February.”
Federation of Master Builders: 13 April, 2021
Though activity levels within the Scottish construction sector don’t always closely track UK-wide trends, we’ve been delighted to welcome our largest ever intake of supervisory candidates recently enrolled on our SVQ Level 3 Spring 2021 course in occupational work supervision/construction site supervision.
56 supervisory candidates joined us this intake, from a wide range of companies reflecting the length and breadth of Scotland’s competitive construction industry. Having moved our courses into the virtual realm during the pandemic, candidates no longer need to book travel or accommodation thus we’re delighted to welcome construction supervisors based from Dumfries to Peterhead and Stornoway.
All are dedicated professionals, intent on furthering their careers by attaining a recognised industry qualification to supplement practical knowledge and skills gained on the job. Securing the SVQ Level 3 in OWS/CSS is a recognised industry route towards obtaining the coveted CSCS Gold Card (Construction Skills Certification Scheme).
This Spring 2021 intake of virtual learners will be led by Esteem Training assessors Allan Mitchell, David Currie, Debbie Knights, Nicola Thom and Rosie Neill.
Lead assessor Debbie Knights commented: “We are thrilled to be commencing such a high number of construction supervisors for this Spring intake. It’s fantastic to see our industry continuing to focus on staff development during this challenging time.”
Support from our team of assessors
The Esteem assessor team will be working closely with each candidate, coaching them through the various modules including providing guidance on what constitutes appropriate evidence of work undertaken.
Debbie continues: “We’ll discuss the most effective, and convenient, online channels for them to record then upload supporting work examples and how to access our online Learning Assistant and helpful toolkits and resources.”
Each candidate will benefit from regular one-to-one video coaching and support sessions with our experienced team of assessors, all with practical backgrounds in the construction industry. There will also be regular peer group discussions using social media channels such as WhatsApp, which continue to prove popular while providing great networking opportunities and a discreet skills-sharing forum. Our team is proud that feedback has remained universally positive throughout our move to the virtual environment, with candidate success rates consistently scoring around 93%.
Debbie’s fellow assessor David Currie added: “We know that it can be challenging to block off quiet time online for assessor coaching sessions and to upload evidence as many construction professionals spend much of their working day on site. So we’ll be as flexible as possible, settling on whatever times work for each person, even rescheduling when that’s required. We know that supervisors have a lot on their plates, managing teams, and that schedules can change at short notice.”
For more information on our next intake of candidates for the SVQ Level 3 and SVQ Level 4 courses in occupational work supervision, construction site supervision and construction site management, visit our website. Or contact Andy Findlater, Business Development Manager at andy@esteemtraining.com or M: 07766 658 083.
