Support for skills campaign

Bohle has given its support to the Building Our Skills campaign, also signing up as sponsor of the Best New Glass Processing Operative category in the associated Recognising New Talents Awards.

The Building Our Skills campaign was launched earlier this year with the aim of attracting industry-wide support to promote jobs and skills in the fenestration industry to young people, and those switching careers.

This includes the launch of an accompanying awards programme, the Recognising New Talents Awards, of which Bohle is a sponsor.

Dave Broxton, managing director of Bohle, said: “In common with many other industries, and the construction sector more widely, attracting the right new people into the fenestration and glass industries is now a business critical priority.

“As a sector we’re getting older and failing to attract new entrants and particularly young people coming out of compulsory education.

“We’re giving our full backing to the Building Our Skills campaign and are delighted to support it directly through the sponsorship of a key awards category for the glass processing sector at the Recognising New Talents Awards.”

A fecent roundtable event organised by Bohle revealed that the industry saw recruitment and retention of shop floor staff, combined with a failure to attract younger workers into the industry, as a threat to the long term sustainability of the glass and glazing sector.

“Everyone shares the same assessment,” Dave said. “We need to do more to bring new blood into the industry. There’s also a genuine willingness within the industry to drive change. Celebrating the success of those within the fenestration and glass processing sectors is a great starting point.

“The challenge is in reaching out to those young people who aren’t currently engaged with the glass processing and fenestration sectors by showcasing its professionalism and the diverse and highly rewarding career opportunities that it offers.”

Nominations for the Recognising New Talent Awards are open from June 2018 to February 2019. Entries will be judged in March, with winners announced in April next year.