Gary Lewis has been elected as the new national president of the FMB at the Federation’s National AGM and Conference in Newport, Wales, on Saturday, September 10.
The Association says that Boosting the quality and quantity of apprenticeships through construction SMEs will be the key focus for the new National President.
Gary Lewis, national president of the FMB, said: “I’ve always been extremely passionate about passing on my knowledge to the next generation and ensuring that we have enough skilled workers in the construction sector.
“FMB members are already playing a pivotal role in improving the quality of apprenticeships through the development of two new Trailblazer standards in bricklaying and plastering.
“However, root and branch changes to apprenticeship policy are on the horizon with the implementation of the new Government Apprenticeship Levy and the corresponding reforms to the CITB levy. These fundamental changes could make or break the quality and quantity of apprenticeship training and therefore it’s vital that the FMB ensures that the new system works for smaller firms. If it doesn’t, we could risk exacerbating the construction skills crisis.”
At the National AGM and Conference, Arthur McArdle was elected as the FMB’s new national vice-president and Dave Bentley, the former FMB national president, will now serve as the immediate past president.
