GQA Tech team volunteer to take the Fenestration industry to the education sector

Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration, Glass and Glazing a Career of Choice has received a further boost to its campaign to the take the industry to the education sector as the starting point for creating a workforce for tomorrow. Four members of the technical team from GQA Qualifications have enrolled to be a part of the ‘Inspiring the Future’ programme that Building Our Skills is promoting alongside the Education and Employers Charity.

Setting a great example to employers in the industry, the team from the fenestration industry’s leading awarding and qualifications-writing organisation have signed up to support the campaign by volunteering to visit schools to help inform youngsters about the possibilities for their future careers and what they could achieve if they join the Fenestration, Glass and Glazing industry.

Inspiring The Future has been designed to connect young people with the world of work through volunteers. It is seen by Building Our Skills as key in helping to acquaint school age children and their teachers with the industry, and to communicate to them the broad range of job roles and career paths it offers.

The campaign connects volunteers to state primary and secondary schools via its free match-making platform. Volunteers are asked to give just one hour a year to the programme, although they can choose to do more if they wish in order to help inspire children. The first step is to register on the website of Building Our Skills and complete a very simple application form. Teachers who have signed their schools up to the programme can see details of the volunteer, where they are based and the industry they are in, and then invite them to talk to their school about the job they do and the industry they do it in.

Invitations for in-person school visits are based around volunteers being local to the school in question; virtual visits can be delivered from anywhere in the UK.  Volunteers are supported by the Inspiring the Future team and are given access to training videos as well as training webinars and forums should they wish.

Building Our Skills has highlighted the Education Sector as the single most important area for the industry to focus on to raise awareness of the opportunities it offers and to inspire future generations to look to Fenestration, Glass and Glazing as a career of choice.

Mark Handley, Building Our Skills’ Partnerships Manager, says: 

“I’m delighted that GQA’s technical team has agreed to support the Inspiring the Future campaign by volunteering. We’re now well on the way to achieving our primary objective of securing 50 industry volunteers. I’ve been very pleased with the response, but I urge the fenestration industry to acknowledge the need to get more involved with schools and colleges. Working with Inspiring the Future is a great approach to attracting new talent to the industry, and teaching youngsters about the sheer breadth of roles it has on offer. I think anyone volunteering would find it all very rewarding.”

Those interested in volunteering can do so by clicking here https://buildingourskills.co.uk/campaigns/inspiring-the-future/

Or for more information on this campaign and Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration, Glass and Glazing a Career of Choice – visit www.buildingourskills.co.uk