Trade fabricator Shepley has joined forces with REHAU and industry initiative Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration a Career of Choice – to help strengthen the skills pipeline for the glazing industry.
As part of the collaboration, Shepley supplied a fully glazed REHAU window, single door and double door set for Building Our Skills’ new Milton Keynes training centre. The facility offers hands-on installation training for both newcomers to the trade and experienced fitters looking to enhance their skills.
Ian Griffiths, Managing Director at Shepley, said: “The more we can do as an industry to raise installation standards and attract new talent, the stronger we all become. Supporting the Milton Keynes centre with real products means trainees can work in conditions that reflect real-life installations.”
Building Our Skills is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to bridge the fenestration skills gap through careers outreach, partnerships with training bodies such as GQA Qualifications, and specialist schemes for veterans and offender rehabilitation.
The Milton Keynes site is one of several nationwide centres where trainees fit windows and doors into purpose-built training walls. All courses are GQA-accredited, providing a recognised qualification.
Stephen Beresford, Head of Marketing at REHAU, said: “From our first meetings with Building Our Skills, it was clear that they shared our position on the growing industry skills gap, and the challenge of attracting the next generation of workers to the fenestration industry.
“One of the major issues the industry faces is the lack of awareness surrounding the variety of careers available beyond fabrication, installation, and the factory floor. Increasing understanding of the sector among young people and dispelling wider misconceptions is a primary objective of our partnership and is something that we hope will in turn attract new recruits to the industry.”
Mark Handley, Partnerships Manager at Building Our Skills, added: “We’re pleased to welcome REHAU as a National Partner and grateful for Shepley’s practical support. Having genuine, fully glazed products at the training centre helps create realistic learning experiences for trainees, which is crucial to building a skilled workforce.”
