A £5m scheme to support training for graduates embarking on engineering construction careers is open to new applicants.
The ECITB’s Graduate Development Grant programme addresses calls from employers and Government to ensure new graduates entering the industry have the know-how to take on key roles in the workplace. Each year, the scheme supports around 150 graduates with each individual receiving £12,000 over three years to support leadership and management training. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, 148 graduates from 14 companies have been able to continue training and development activities through ECITB support.
Graduates can undertake training against a variety of learning objectives, including in project management, commercial awareness, leadership and report writing. By ensuring more engineering graduates possess these core competencies, the aim is to develop a workforce with the confidence to lead and deliver projects and equipped with transferable skills that are in-demand across all sectors of the industry.
ECITB Chief Executive Chris Claydon
Chris Claydon, Chief Executive of the ECITB, said: “The programme was created in response to calls from industry employers to mirror our support for apprentices with a fund to support graduate training. While graduates join industry with great academic credentials, they are still developing and this scheme helps to round off individuals’ academic learning with the soft skills required by employers.
“By taking on new graduates, engineering construction employers are investing in the future of the industry and the ECITB is proud to support our employers in training them.”
The grant system for graduates funds training that helps them along the path to Chartered Engineer status. In addition, the grant also supports engineering graduates being developed against the Engineering Council Standard for Professional Engineering Competencies, which means companies can use their own training schemes as well as ECITB-designed programmes.
The Graduate Development Grant is one of a number of measures to support new entrants to the engineering construction industry. During the pandemic, the ECITB has developed and rolled out a new £4.5m Train to Retain scheme to provide ongoing training for trainees, apprentices and graduates, a £2m Scholarship to create a pipeline of new entrants, as well as developing new pilots around digital learning and assessment and directly funding virtual training over lockdown.
Paul Fox, Head of SHEQ and HR at ODE Group
Paul Fox, Head of SHEQ and HR at ODE Group, said: “We are delighted to have our recruits among the first cohort of the ECITB’s new Graduate Development Programme.
“It makes perfect sense to invest in specialist training for those embarking on engineering careers from a University background in the same way as we do for school-leavers entering into apprenticeships. It is a huge step forward in the way we approach learning and development for highly skilled new recruits.”
To access this funding your company’s graduate training plan must be approved by the ECITB and meet specific requirements. For more information on the ECITB’s Graduate Development Grant and to apply for funding please visit https://www.ecitb.org.uk/graduate-development-grant/
The application process closes on 31st October.