A suite of new learning materials launched today [28 September] and made freely available to all those working in UK construction will drive positive change in the sector, industry leaders have said.
The new resources, part-funded by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), have been developed by the CECA and the Supply Chain Sustainability School with a steering group of leading industry stakeholders, and have been rolled out to mark the beginning of National Inclusion Week, which is taking place between 28 September until 4 October, 2020).
The resources include three new workshops on:
- Inspiring and Coaching New Employees
- Setting up an Inclusive Site
- Leading People Inclusively.
These workshops are accompanied by newly developed e-learning modules on:
- Understanding Invisible Disabilities
- Managing Challenging Conversations
- Race and Intercultural Competence Parts 1&2.
Sarah Beale, chief executive of the CITB, said: “Even before the pandemic, construction recruitment faced the challenges of an ageing workforce with a real lack of diversity and the pending implications of Brexit, so it is more important than ever to build inclusive cultures across all parts of our industry.
“These resources will help drive the positive change we need to attract new entrants from a wide range of backgrounds to our sector, and ensure construction is the rewarding career we know it to be for everyone.”
Andy Mitchell CBE, co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, added: “National Inclusion Week is an opportune moment to remind everyone that not only is there a moral case for driving inclusive cultures in the construction industry, but that there is a business case for it as well.
“Inclusive workplace cultures are more productive, innovative, and profitable. Promoting a culture of fairness, inclusion and respect can bring benefits to businesses of all sizes and helps attract and retain people from the full pool of talent in the UK workforce.”
Andy continued: “There has been positive cultural change across our sector in recent years, but it is beholden to us all to remember that we always have more to learn and things we can improve. These new resources are a welcome addition to the already extensive range of FIR materials that are available, and we hope their uptake will be as wide as possible by businesses at all levels of the UK supply chain.”
Stephen Cole, head of careers strategy at CITB, said: “These resources will benefit UK construction and demonstrate why CITB has been proud to fund the Fairness, Inclusion & Respect programme since 2015.
“Cultural change also aids both in the attraction of new skills and retention of existing ones, which is of particular importance at this time.”
