Author, motivational speaker and youth worker Hon. Stuart Lawrence issued a rallying cry for a culture change in education about apprenticeships at the inaugural BiKBBI Conference.

He said: “We do need more adult educationists to understand this is a viable outcome for our young people and it’s not a second best or not as good as going to university and doing A Levels.”

“We just need those in power to understand that and support it and give it the prevalence it deserves.”

Sponsored Video

Quarter sawn Tulipwood

CEO of the BiKBBI Damian Walters agreed people need to change their mentality about vocational learning, “which is currently the thinking apprenticeships are good but for other people’s children and not our own. That’s not good enough.”

Apprenticeship opportunities

Walters pointed to the Level 2 Fitted Interiors Apprenticeship which “will begin the journey for any budding kitchen, bedroom or bathroom installer”, and said the BiKBBI was working on developing a network of 15 training providers.

He also spoke of his ambition to create Level 4 and Level 4 Apprenticeships to offer further options for careers.

Walters pointed to the development of the BiKBBI Skills Plus apprenticeship training agency which supports SMEs to take on installers, from advertising to interviewing and helping them through the first two to three years of their career.

In addition, Walters pointed out the BiKBBI was visiting schools to talk to children about the industry and working with the MOD Armed Forces Covenant to attract former service personnel.

Diversification of the workforce to create a bigger pond to fish for talent is essential to drive apprenticeship, stated the BiKBBI, with increased representation across genders, races and cultures.

Stuart Lawrence explained: “As a society, culturally, we are always told to better ourselves. So education and going to university is promoted so heavily in the black community as a way to succeed, social mobility and move yourself on.”

He said vocational subjects are perceived as being for the un-intelligent and going in on the ground saying apprenticeships are an option is the best way to challenge this thought.

Concluding, Walters also spoke of his ambition to work with disadvantaged children, stating: “If we can give them option to bring them into our world and create an option for them, there’s social and economic wins to be had.”

Fellow speaker at the BiKBBI Conference, MD of Quooker Stephen Johnson also urged the industry to unite and help train the next generation of kbb installers and solve the skills gap.