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Trainers alarmed as Wimpey axes O'Reilly
00:00 18 Aug 1994
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Top industrial training expert Mike O'Reilly has been made
redundant by Wimpey in a company structural reorganisation.
News of O'Reilly's departure has stunned the training world, where he is widely regarded as one of the key figures. It has raised questions over the commitment to operative training by the major national contractors. More immediately, it has raised doubts about the future of a vital pilot training scheme for the self-employed.
O'Reilly confirmed this week: 'I shall be leaving at the end of September. The central role of director of human resources and training is being devolved to the three Wimpey operating divisions.'
In the same reshuffle, the Wimpey industrial relations chief Colin Spellman has already left the company.
Wimpey says its restructure is intended to give more direct involvement in training needs to its three main operating divisions in housing, construction, and minerals. The company claims that its interest in training is not diminished and that its 14 national craft training centres are not threatened.
However, one industry leader has commented: 'O'Reilly has long been a crucial contributor to national policy on construction training. This move gives off the wrong signals. And training is surely one area where you do need a strong centralised policy direction.'
At Wimpey O'Reilly had been responsible for preparing a pilot scheme for 'training contractors' under which companies like Wimpey would take on the administrative work and placing on site of trainee labour-only and self-employed operatives. The scheme forms a central part of the CITB's new entrant training initiative which is being launched this autumn.
Fears that other leading national firms may drop craft training altogether have also been dismissed.
A spokesman for Taylor Woodrow commented: 'We are not pulling out of operative training. It is fair to say, however, that we are training on a limited basis. We currently have about 40 craft training apprentices.
'There has been little recruitment in the past couple of years. We are now looking to take on more. But we are not talking big numbers.'
News of O'Reilly's departure has stunned the training world, where he is widely regarded as one of the key figures. It has raised questions over the commitment to operative training by the major national contractors. More immediately, it has raised doubts about the future of a vital pilot training scheme for the self-employed.
O'Reilly confirmed this week: 'I shall be leaving at the end of September. The central role of director of human resources and training is being devolved to the three Wimpey operating divisions.'
In the same reshuffle, the Wimpey industrial relations chief Colin Spellman has already left the company.
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Wimpey says its restructure is intended to give more direct involvement in training needs to its three main operating divisions in housing, construction, and minerals. The company claims that its interest in training is not diminished and that its 14 national craft training centres are not threatened.
However, one industry leader has commented: 'O'Reilly has long been a crucial contributor to national policy on construction training. This move gives off the wrong signals. And training is surely one area where you do need a strong centralised policy direction.'
At Wimpey O'Reilly had been responsible for preparing a pilot scheme for 'training contractors' under which companies like Wimpey would take on the administrative work and placing on site of trainee labour-only and self-employed operatives. The scheme forms a central part of the CITB's new entrant training initiative which is being launched this autumn.
Fears that other leading national firms may drop craft training altogether have also been dismissed.
A spokesman for Taylor Woodrow commented: 'We are not pulling out of operative training. It is fair to say, however, that we are training on a limited basis. We currently have about 40 craft training apprentices.
'There has been little recruitment in the past couple of years. We are now looking to take on more. But we are not talking big numbers.'
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