February 27th, 2023
City & Guilds and EAL’s new suite of construction and building services engineering qualifications in Wales have been developed by working closely with leading experts to ensure they offer a simple, clear progression route that equips learners for further study and advancement. At the same time, they help learners gain industry-standard skills and experience, supporting career development and creating future employment opportunities.
The qualifications are being delivered at Bridgend College based in Wales, in collaboration with developer, Persimmon Homes Wales. Students who have completed the Level 2 Foundation in Construction and Building Services Engineering have progressed onto the Level 3 apprenticeship with the developer.
Good for learners, employers and providers
Discussing the reforms, Angharad Lloyd Beynon, Policy, Stakeholder and Partnerships Manager at City & Guilds shared her thoughts on the value of the updated qualifications:
“Together with EAL, we are empowering people with the skills needed to gain opportunities in the construction industry. These new qualifications will allow people to forge a career in construction with clear progression routes.”
The collaboration between Bridgend College and Persimmon Homes started in 2017 with an initial intake of 10 learners and over the years that number has expanded to include carpentry and bricklaying apprenticeships. The Head of Curriculum STEM at Bridgend College Rachel Edmonds-Naish spoke about how the reform can ensure learners get even more from their studies:
“These new qualifications give learners a much broader scope of opportunities than what has gone before covering construction, building services and engineering sector. Instead of just learning their trade, they learn two trades initially, and about the wider context of what it means to be working in the construction sector.”
Carl Davey, Regional Quality Director at Persimmon Homes Wales has seen first-hand how Building and Construction Services Engineering qualifications have helped to home-grow the talented workers their business needs, ensuring a sustainable business model and retaining talent in this pivotal sector.
“We have built a successful relationship with Bridgend College over recent years engaging with students from full time programmes and offering the opportunity to advance into the industry through our apprenticeship programme.”
Betty Lee, an Apprentice Carpenter at Bridgend College added:
“I would recommend the foundation course to others because it’s a good way to get into construction and it’s also a starting block for you if you want to progress. You can go on to do level two, level three, or even go on to do a management course afterwards. I’m thinking about doing the management course, or even starting my own business.”
It’s fair to say that the future of Construction and Building Services Engineering qualifications in Wales is now in the very skilled and ambitious hands of its apprentices, laying not only the foundations for industry-standard construction but also better pathways for their own bright futures.