In my first 100 days as Chief Executive of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), I’ve been embarking on a tour to meet with a wide variety of stakeholders – and a common theme crops up on every visit.
I’m talking about the importance of collaboration and the benefits this can bring to the engineering construction industry (ECI) – at a time when we’re tackling a looming workforce and skills crisis.
Between now and 2026, the UK needs around 25,000 extra workers for major projects in the industry. The priorities identified by the ECITB in our Leading Industry Learning strategy aim to help industry tackle these challenges, and collaboration between all stakeholders will be vital.
The ECITB supports collaborative working relationships across the industry. Reinforcing and further embedding a collaborative culture and mindset at the ECITB, as well as within the wider ECI community, has been a big part of my first few months in the role.
Chief Executive Andrew Hockey (left) with ECITB Account Manager Paul Hynd during a visit to the Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) Mossmorran facility in Scotland
Collaboration in action
During my recent trip to Scotland, I heard from stakeholders on what their challenges and opportunities are to make sure we are responding effectively to their needs – meeting with levy-paying employers, training providers and learners.
I visited Bilfinger UK and Storegga during my time in Aberdeen, as well as the Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) Mossmorran facility.
Meeting with Executive President Sandy Bonner and the leadership team at Bilfinger, it was great to hear their views on the benefits the ECITB brings in the context of skills shortages, how we exist to help address market failure and ideas on how we can collaborate further.
Similarly, the objective of my meeting with Steve Murphy, Chief Commercial Officer at Storegga, was all about how we can better collaborate on areas it is involved with, such as the Acorn joint venture decarbonisation project in Scotland and the skills plan it is working on for north-east Scotland around Net Zero.
Meanwhile, during a tour of the Exxon Mobil Mosmorran facility in Cowdenbeath, organised by Altrad which is contracted to maintain the plant, I was able to see first-hand the benefits of our influence, as well as a good example of collaboration in action through the excellent relationship between client and contractor.
The tour took place during its 10-week shutdown, with Altrad carrying out refurbishment work, and it was amazing to be up close to the retubing of the furnace.
What was equally amazing, was seeing apprentices deployed on such a complex site. We were shown some of the work by welding apprentices, who were praised for the high standard they are working at. We also got to meet one of the apprentices, Ben, who really impressed me.
This was further evidence of how the apprenticeships we support at the ECITB instil the confidence and depth of understanding needed to step on site.
Andrew Hockey on a tour of the Mosmorran facility with Paul Hynd, where they met 3rd Year Pipe Welding Apprentice Ben Smart (bottom right), as well as Altrad’s Steven Brisbane and Douglas MacCalman
Delivering quality-assured training
On this apprenticeship theme, I was also lucky enough to welcome the latest cohort of learners on to the Oil and Gas Technical Apprentice Programme (OGTAP) during their induction day at Forth Valley College in Falkirk.
The campus tour was enlightening, with Principal Kenny MacInnes underlining the college’s willingness to work closely with the ECITB to deliver quality-assured training.
I also paid a visit to North East Scotland College (NESCol) in Aberdeen, had a tour of its Altens Campus and met with Principal Neil Cowie.
This is another great example of an advanced facility providing a pipeline of young people into industry. It was great to hear how NESCol wants to collaborate with us to provide the most up-to-date courses possible to achieve this.
The Altens Campus will also host a skills hub as part of the flagship Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) project in Aberdeen, and my trip offered a great opportunity to discuss with ETZ CEO Maggie McGinlay and her team how the ECITB can provide support to help build the proposition, with the facility due to open next year.
The ETZ is located next to Aberdeen South Harbour which will be at the heart of a sustainable, integrated energy transition cluster and will help provide a single point of contact for the energy industry to access a wide range of training and skills development programmes.
On this theme of energy transition, my introductory meeting with Myrtle Dawes, who is CEO of the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) in Aberdeen, helped create a link where we will work in a collaborative fashion with the NZTC advising us on promoting the use of technology.
This tour of Scotland helped strengthen the ties between the ECITB and all the different pieces of the jigsaw in the industry.
It also underlined the important role we all have in delivering, growing and maintaining a skilled engineering construction workforce fit for the future.
I look forward to listening to our partners across the rest of Great Britain as I continue my programme of stakeholder visits.
Blog by ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey
CEO Andrew Hockey took a tour of Forth Valley College during an induction day for the OGTAP apprentices
Chief Executive Andrew Hockey with NESCol Principal Neil Cowie