The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom installation has launched the BiKBBI Education Steering Committee as part of its ongoing strategy to build a sustainable workforce of KBB installers.

In the publication of its recent White Paper BiKBBI 2023: Pathways to support the success of the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installation industry through times of challenge’. the association set out three key pathways to tackle these issues.

These three key areas of focus, outlined at the BiKBBI AGM, include Learning and development, sustainability and raising standards, including the development of an Education Steering Committee.

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As the only Government-sanctioned organisation dedicated to KBB installation, BiKBBI has assembled stakeholders, advisors and sector specialists to form the BiKBBI Education Steering Committee (ESC).

The ESC will determine the development of education within KBB installation, define areas of focus in line with industry needs, identify goals and objectives and provide a forum for decision-making. It will primarily concentrate on apprenticeships, CPD and retraining.

The committee consists of a chairperson and 10 members and was assembled via a targeted recruitment process, ensuring representation from all areas of the sector.

The ESC chair is Hannah Hockley from TAP, BiKBBI’s appointed apprenticeships partner.

She will be joined by committee members Tom Reynolds (BMA), Jerry Whiteley (CiPHE), Lisa Williamson (Achieve + Partners), Barry Moss (LEAP), Andy Rayner (Travis Perkins), Stephen Johnson (Quooker), Emma Leech (Howdens), Carl Terlecki (Terlecki Limited), Kerry Wilson (BMF) and Rebecca Bertram-Smith (The Furniture Maker’s Company).

CEO of BiKBBI Damian Walters commented ‘With an aging workforce and declining numbers of compliant installation specialists, our industry faces an unprecedented challenge.

“For many years our focus has been firmly on education and the development of a sustainable pipeline of professional installers for the future.

“As such, we collaborated with key strategic partners to build a modern, fit-for-purpose apprenticeship programme for fitted interiors and we also launched the BiKBBI employer support service in 2021.

“But there is still much to do to deliver the workforce to meet demands of the future, both in terms of numbers and standards, and education, learning and development should be at the top of the agenda for all stakeholders – ultimately, how we handle the current skills gap will impact all areas of the industry.

“The creation of the BiKBBI Education Steering Committee is the next level of collaboration for BiKBBI, as we create a forum for all areas of the industry to discuss, debate and decide on key topics that will work towards solving the mounting skills gap crisis and build a legacy to ensure a sustainable workforce for the future.”