Davie Carns, CEO of NIS Group, explains why the rail
and construction sectors have a unique opportunity to
leverage the Government’s appetite for ‘growth’

 

 

To say the last few months have seen some significant changes for those operating in the rail and infrastructure sectors would be an understatement.

For the first time in over a decade, we have a new Government, a new set of ministers and a fresh legislative agenda.

There is also a new body to oversee and coordinate training and education, Skills England, who I expect we will hear a lot about in the next few years. And in the West Midlands, where we do most of our work, we also have a new Mayor. We are all acutely aware of this changing landscape, managing the challenges and identifying the opportunities it naturally brings.

The new Government, for a variety of reasons, is having to go all out for economic growth. In many ways it’s the only show in town and the only viable route it can take.

You can’t watch the news and hear a politician being interviewed without hearing the buzzword ‘growth’ time and time again.

Infrastructure, maintenance and repair, house building, retrofitting – these are all huge opportunities for growth for the new Government and it has been encouraging to hear early statements of intent, albeit set against the challenges of the state of public finances.

Driving growth and having the people skilled to do the jobs that come from it is very much the aim.

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. Even maintaining the status quo means tackling the skills challenge in construction. A report published recently by the Construction Industry Training Board forecasts that, in order to stand still on the current pipeline of projects, a further 251,000 extra workers will be needed by 2028 in an industry already employing over 2.5 million people.

If the Government is serious about using building to underpin economic growth, this shortage of skills is going to come even more into focus.

For companies like NIS Group and others in the space that aligns closely with the Government’s aims, now is the time to plan ahead and consider how we can play our part in this growth strategy and positively contribute to closing this skills gap.

Commitment

We are passionate about training people to achieve sustainable employment in the rail and construction industries.

Founded in 2018 and proudly headquartered in Wolverhampton, we deliver training through our network of Transport, Rail and Infrastructure Academy (TRIA) facilities in Bilston, Dudley, Aston and Coventry.

We have grown rapidly in a short period of time, a reflection of our success in developing a new way of delivering training and empowering people.

Our partnership with the City of Wolverhampton College, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, brings together the best of the public and private sectors to deliver employment-driven training.

In 2023, we trained more than 5,000 people. But what we are most proud of is our 82 per cent success rate in helping these people take the first step into sustainable careers.

The personalised approach we take to learning means we offer tailored support to each candidate. We do this by understanding the industry, listening closely to employers and ensuring we deliver learning needed to fill vacancies.

Going into site-based work for the first time is not without challenges, especially for people who are unemployed, changing careers, or re-entering the workforce. So, it is important we help learners navigate their way through courses and into full-time, sustainable careers.

To do this, we work with Jobcentre Plus and other local referral organisations, as well as bodies that support ex-offenders and armed forces personnel into the workplace.

But we’re not just here for the people taking their first steps in the industry. We also provide training and skills development to upskill people, enabling them to progress across the many different roles available within rail and construction.

All of this, however, needs Government to be clear about its plans. Building things in this country, as we see each day, is not without a long list of challenges, not least political ones.

Keir Starmer and Co, who are sitting on such a large majority, have a mandate to build homes and the associated infrastructure and need to ensure these challenges doesn’t blow them off course.

One of the major failings of the last administration was the breaking of the promise between business and Government in long-term planning, most notably with the cancellation of Phase 2b of HS2, something many companies in the construction sector had been using as a pillar for their long-term planning.

Many businesses are scarred by this experience – Labour has an opportunity to reboot and rebuild this relationship. There’s so much that needs to be done. Let’s get down to work and make these ambitions a reality.

 

Tel: 01902 973473
Email: info@nisgroup.co.uk
Visit: www.nisgroup.co.uk