JIB meets with Government to champion collective agreements, competence standards and skills

Acting CEO Andy Reakes has engaged in productive discussions with the UK Government, as part of the JIB’s work to promote collective agreements, standards and skills.

Meeting with Gurinder Singh Josan MP

On 7 September, Andy met with Gurinder Singh Josan, MP for Smethwick, along with Catherine Watt, Employment and Skills Director at ECA, and Jason Poulter, National Officer at Unite.

The JIB is founded on successful collaboration between the trade association ECA and Unite the Union. This presents an opportunity to highlight how collective agreements can support productivity, skills development and workforce stability. The meeting also explored ways to increase apprenticeships, back local employers and strengthen workforce development.

The JIB aims to continue to engage with the Government as policy on social values and skills develops.

DESNZ Good Work Standards Roundtable

Andy attended the DESNZ Good Work Standards Roundtable on 14 September to share insights on achieving and maintaining a skilled and productive workforce.

Industry representatives, including those from JIB member companies, discussed the benefits of direct employment, sustained investment in apprenticeships and other measures to achieve workforce stability.

The delivery of major infrastructure projects and the Government’s net zero ambitions also rely on schemes such as ECS to uphold the required skills and competency.

There is a need for Government policy to better recognise and reward employers that invest in skills and competence. The JIB presents as a practical delivery partner for future workforce reform initiatives.

Skills England Roundtable – Digital Skills Passports

Chair of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) People and Skills Workstream Mark Farmer, together with Skills England Deputy Director Jonathan Mitchell, hosted a second meeting to explore digital skills passports.

Skills England is keen to assess existing digital solutions in the built environment and Andy presented the ECS as a successful example. ECS has been recognised by industry for years, and the scheme enables individuals to demonstrate their competence while supporting workforce quality, safety and retention for employers.

Industry-led schemes such as ECS will have an important role in any national digital skills ecosystem. Andy stressed that any future Government-backed skills passports need to align with existing sector schemes, rather than creating duplicate systems.

Jason Poulter, National Officer for Construction at Unite, also attended the event, alongside CEOs from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), NOCN Group, Certchain, Certass, the Construction Plant-Hire Association (CPA), and representatives from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and the New Hospitals Project (NHP).

This roundtable followed on from that that held on 13 July, which you can read about here.

The JIB looks forward to continuing to represent the interests of its members and the wider industry, in conversations with Government and industry stakeholders.

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