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It’s National Scaffolding Week and we’d like everyone to consider the potential danger of coming into contact with electricity when working with scaffolding tubes.

In this blog post, we'll explore pra ctic  al strategies to get your scaffolding business noticed and win more clients.

In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving world, the notion of a linear career path is fading rapidly

Apprenticeships have emerged as a valuable pathway for young individuals to kickstart their careers by gaining essential skills and workplace experience while earning a wage

With so many options available when it comes to employment, you might want to consider, why choose a job in the scaffolding industry? Here we are proud to highlight the many advantages of working in the scaffolding industry.

Choosing to offer apprenticeships can be a good opportunity for both employers and apprentices alike

Last week was National Scaffolding Week (NSW) , a brand new campaign to celebrate the scaffolding and access sectors' many achievements and promote the diverse range of roles and opportunities available within the industry. To help raise awareness of the campaign, National Scaffolding Week teamed up with TRAD UK to run a ‘fastest fixer’ competition which was held at various TRAD UK depots across the UK. Each location fixed a vertical 6-foot tube and challenged employees to fit 12 D/F doubles onto the tube as fast and as safely as they could. TRAD UK provided the same scaffold spanner and fittings for use at each location to ensure everyone was competing like for like. The criteria set for the competition was as follows: 12 doubles to be laid out on the floor and scaffold spanner handed to the competitor All nuts are unwound fully, meaning everyone is starting from the same position Depot adjudicators have a stopwatch and spreadsheet ready to record your time Adjudicator to issue start instruction Timing starts immediately from when the competitor touches / picks up first fitting. Once all 12 doubles are fixed to the tube the timer is stopped Nuts must be fully tight and should not be able to be loosened by hand. All names and times will be logged on to a spreadsheet Unfortunately due to weather conditions and some unforeseen circumstances, some of the depots were unable to take part, so instead of crowning regional winners, all competitors were entered into one nationwide competition and the top four have been named as: Sam Tootle 1m 12s - Stockport (WINNER) Gary 1m 13s - Stockport (JOINT SECOND PLACE) Paul Crook 1m 13s - Stockport (JOINT SECOND PLACE) Paul Rothero 1m 13s - Birmingham (JOINT SECOND PLACE) Congratulations to Sam Tootle and our runners-up - impressive times all round! National Scaffolding Week will organise an award to be presented to Sam Tootle, officially naming him the ‘UK’s Fastest Fixer 2022‘! In the meantime, get practising those fittings and we’ll see you all in 2023! Contact: NSW info@nationalscaffoldingweek.com TRAD https://traduk.co.uk/the-company/

National Scaffolding Week, 26 - 30th September 2022 , partners with TRAD UK to run a ‘Fastest Fixer’ competition across six depots nationwide. National Scaffolding Week (NSW) is a brand new campaign to celebrate the scaffolding and access sectors' many achievements and promote the diverse range of roles and opportunities available within the industry. To help raise awareness of the campaign, National Scaffolding Week have teamed up with TRAD UK to run a ‘fastest fixer’ competition which will be held at six TRAD UK depots across the UK. Each location will fix a vertical 6-foot tube and have a time challenge to fit 12 D/F doubles onto the tube. TRAD UK will provide the same scaffold spanner and fittings are used at each location to ensure everyone is competing like for like. The depots taking part are Andover, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Manchester and the criteria for the competition will be as follows: 12 doubles to be laid out on the floor and scaffold spanner handed to the competitor All nuts are unwound fully, meaning everyone is starting from the same position Depot adjudicators have a stopwatch and spreadsheet ready to record your time Adjudicator to issue start instruction Timing starts immediately from when competitor touches / picks up first fitting. Once all 12 doubles are fixed to the tube the timer is stopped Nuts must be fully tight and should not be able to be loosened by hand. All names and times will be logged on to a spreadsheet At the conclusion of National Scaffolding Week, a winner per region will be announced and awarded with a commemorative shield, with the fastest from all regions being declared the overall ‘Fastest Fitter 2022’ and awarded with their own award.

During National Scaffolding Week we want to share information about the diverse range of careers available in the sector in hopes of inspiring a new generation to take up a role within the industry. We asked members of Teal Scaffold to tell us what they love about working in the scaffolding sector and what they would tell someone thinking about embarking on a career in scaffolding. What you will notice from the accounts of all these people is that they’re all so diverse - men and women with different skill sets, yet they have all found something that they thoroughly love by working within the scaffolding and access sector. Dan McGregor, Head of Operations, stated when asked what he enjoyed most about his role; “The diverse groups of people that liaise with on a daily basis which make my role really enjoyable. However, there are two key stand-out points that really make my role fulfilling. The first is the completion of a high-profile project and receiving great feedback from our clients. The second is creating opportunities for personal growth for everyone in our team; seeing individuals changing their lives for the better and knowing that I have contributed in some way to this.” When asked what advice Dan would give to someone thinking about a career in scaffolding Dan commented “This is a tough industry and you need to be resilient but also willing to learn.” Traditionally the sector has looked to recruit school or college leavers but there is a much wider pool of talent looking to switch industries who have a whole host of transferable skills and experience. Claire Seddon, Administrator, joined Teal Scaffold with over 20 years of experience as an administrator and knew she could take the skills and knowledge she had previously learnt and apply it to a role within a scaffolding company. When asked about her role, Claire commented; “I was looking for a new challenge and so I applied for the position as I have over years of administration experience and have numerous transferable skills I am able to use in my role.” Not only does the sector need to recruit, but it also needs to retain. Retention of staff is just as, if not more important, as bringing in new talent. By retaining the right people, the sector ensures its longevity and continued success. In order to keep the right people, companies and training providers must offer up development opportunities for existing staff so that ambitious and forward-thinking individuals can hone their skills and carve out their own rewarding careers. Freddie Lambert, Scaffold Manager, says of his career “ I have worked in the scaffolding industry for 40 years for many firms, on many sites, learning al the time. I then started at Teal Scaffold as an Advanced Scaffolder, then a Supervisor and now as a Manager.” When asked what he enjoys most about his role job, Freddie replied “The best part of my job is showing new scaffolders how to progress within the industry.” This is just a small selection of feedback we had from those already working in the sector - we could have written much much more. What is clear from all the responses we had is that the scaffolding sector is a welcoming, friendly and diverse sector to work in and offers a rewarding career for those that are willing to learn. Find out more about Teal Scaffold: www.sovini.co.uk/teal

Recruitment in all sectors has become an uphill battle. With the loss of migratory labour largely due to the pandemic and Brexit, industry as a whole has been hit hard over recent years. However, as far as construction is concerned, opportunities and demand are forecast to increase and prospects for the future are looking much brighter. However, to be able to provide the opportunities that this increased demand will bring, the scaffolding sector needs to plug the skills shortage it is currently experiencing. Over the last few years, we could liken scaffolding to a leaky bathtub - a large pool of experience and skills which are quickly swirling down the plughole of retirement. Add to this a tap which is slowly trickling new talent through and you are quickly in a skills deficit. So, how do we attract more people to take up roles within the scaffolding sector and stop the skills leak? There are many ways we can do this and proactive campaigns, such as National Scaffolding Week, are just one of them. By promoting the scaffolding sector for what it is - a diverse and rewarding sector - we can slowly begin to bend the ear of a new generation and encourage them to seek employment in a sector which is due to see much growth and investment over the coming years. Changing the perception of scaffolding is just part of a battle we need to overcome in order to win the recruitment war. We mustn’t forget that new talent can come in all different shapes and sizes, for example, schemes to support ex-offenders and ex-armed forces personnel during their transition into new posts are becoming increasingly popular and well-funded. Similarly, talent can come from career-changers, those who have started along a career path and now, for whatever reason, are looking to ‘jump ship’ and retrain in a completely different industry. Many employers would say funding is a major stumbling block for developing and retaining talent. So, what can be done to help? The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and your local trade association will be able to help and support you in working out what funding you could secure. For example, the Skills and Training Fund can help small and micro construction companies fund and deliver learning and development opportunities for their workforce. Conversely, for larger companies with more than 250 directly employed staff can access funds to help develop and improve leadership and management skills. To book a place at the next CITB webinar about skills and training funds for small and micro companies, click here. If you think scaffolding could be a viable option for you, there are several routes you can take to help you on your journey to becoming a scaffolder. You could search for an apprenticeship via the Apprenticeships website, apply directly to a local employer or complete a college course at level 1 or 2 in a construction-related field. There are no formal qualifications required to start working as a scaffolder, however, in order to work as a scaffolder on a construction site, you will need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card to demonstrate your competence

Currently worth a massive £2.86bn to the UK economy and with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicting that at least 200 competent scaffolders will need to be recruited annually to meet construction demands, this number is only set to increase.

By engaging with your local schools and colleges you can raise the profile of the industry as a valid career choice while encouraging young people to work for your business.