ECITB reports skills boost

by John d'Arcy



A significant increase in training has been reported by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board despite "clear signs of a decline in engineering construction industry activity."

Last year apprentice craft training increased by 25 per cent while the amount of adult training increased by 36 per cent, according to Peter Griffiths, chief executive of the training board. In the ECITB annual report for 1998, Griffiths said he is also encouraged by a continuing growth in supervisory training both onshore and offshore.

However, there has been a mixed response to management training. In particular, the chief executive reports a poor take-up of the new part-time MSc programme in project management at Cranfield University.

Griffiths said: "The scope of the engineering construction industry is evolving very rapidly. Global competition, skills shortages, an ageing workforce and, at present, a strong pound are creating a climate in which only the fittest will survive.

"Mergers between companies continue apace and it is likely that, in a very short space of time, the industry will be dominated be a few key head-office companies.

"Site companies will always be more numerous but the split between those that can provide an all embracing national service and those smaller companies providing a local one may become more discernible."

The ECITB report indicated that engineering construction currently employs a workforce of 19,000. Offshore oil and gas work accounts for 28 per cent of the total while the chemical industry employs about 19 per cent.