Press Release: Moulding Your Future Workforce: WITForum Working to Improve Bench Joinery Qualifications

Training is vital to the joinery industry’s continued success, and it is an issue about which members of the British Woodworking Federation’s (BWF) Woodworking Industry Training Forum (WITForum) have plenty to say. The industry relies on qualifications delivered by colleges and private training providers to give entrants the skills they need to succeed, but discussions with WITForum members have highlighted the need to review qualifications and standards that are failing to give employers the skills their businesses need. WITForum Board and BWF Council member, Keith Tyson, is leading a wide-ranging review of the Bench Joinery National Occupational Standards (NOS) in conjunction with ConstructionSkills, which provide the basis for an awarding body, such as the Construction Awards Alliance and City & Guilds, to form a qualification. Keith Tyson says: ‘It is imperative that the NOS accurately reflects the competencies of a Bench Joiner if qualifications are to be fit for purpose. I’m leading an active group of Forum members who want to ensure that this review is thorough and delivers for the industry in the future.’ Members have also highlighted that many colleges are struggling to deliver the Bench Joinery Diploma based on the NOS, with many citing problems with the practical assessment, known as the synoptic test. Flagship colleges, too, have expressed concern regarding the qualification, stating that it is too complex to be delivered in the allotted time frame. It is these concerns and feedback which will form the basis of the review being carried out by the WITForum, alongside a wider review of the qualifications available to those entering the industry through the ProSkills Qualification Reform Group unveiled last month. Speaking about this important issue, Dave Campbell, WITForum Manager, says: ‘For those entering the woodworking industry, training provision can be a postcode lottery, with quality courses and colleges sometimes few and far between. Our workforce is ageing, and a qualification review is needed to ensure that we are able to sustain the industry in the long-term by attracting a greater number and calibre of entrants. ‘Only in its second year, the Bench Joinery Diploma is in need of an overhaul to ensure that colleges are able to deliver carefully tailored training which matches the requirements of employers and all industry qualifications need to be looked at in detail to ensure they deliver the skills businesses need. Currently, our members have been finding that qualifications displayed on CVs oversell the skills of the new employees, and this is something which cannot continue.  ‘We are consulting with colleges, members and ConstructionSkills to conduct an extensive review of the existing diploma ahead of the new academic year, and would be delighted to hear from companies and training providers outside our membership about their views on the synoptic test. We have a real opportunity to improve training provision across the board to ensure that those entering our industry are provided with good training. Both the BWF and WITForum will be working hard to make progressive changes to qualifications which will, we hope, help to improve the skill level of our workforce and ensure the future of our industry. We would love to hear what you think, so please do get in touch!’ To find out more about the work of the WITForum or to share your experiences of the Bench Joinery Diploma, log on to dave.campbell@bwf.org.uk.   – ends – Note to Editors WITForum
Established in November 2006 and open to all joinery and woodworking companies, training providers and training experts, the Woodworking Industry Training Forum (WITForum) has over 500 members and is supported by a grant from ConstructionSkills. For more information about the WITForum please contact Dave Campbell, WITForum Manager on 0844 815 9981, email www.bwf.org.uk. BWF
The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) is the leading representative body for the woodworking and joinery manufacturing industry in the UK. The BWF currently has over 500 members drawn from manufacturers, distributors and installers of timber doors, windows, conservatories, staircases, all forms of architectural joinery including shopfitting, timber frame buildings and engineered timber components, as well as suppliers to the industry. The total turnover of the BWF’s membership in 2008 was approximately £500 million. For further information, please contact:
Maggie Young or Sarah Dade at The Good Agency on 020 7738 1900
Email: sarah.dade@thegoodagency.co.uk.