Remarks by Sir Michael Latham at Presentation
of NVQ Level 5 Certificates
London 19.5.04.

I’m delighted to award Peter, Gareth and Richard their certificates in recognition of their outstanding achievement. As the first to achieve this qualification, I hope they will be blazing a trail for many others to follow. Well done to you all!

Lets be clear why this is such and important occasion. The management and supervisory level of the construction industry is absolutely vital to Best Practice delivery, both of firms as a whole and of individual projects.

Effective project management matters particularly for construction because it is a complex industry. There are many different people who deliver the project. They need to be there at the right time, working to the right standard and able to be part of a team. The Construction Project Manager is a bit like the conductor of an orchestra. Not only does he or she have to make sure everyone works together in harmony and comes in at the right time, but he or she also acts as the link between the workforce and the public.

This is particularly important for the image and performance of the industry and for international companies such as McDonald’s. A building is not just a pile of materials put together in such a way that they fulfil the structure’s purpose. It has an aesthetic impact, it will have an environmental impact and it may well have a social impact. Liaising with all the stakeholders is an important part of a project manager’s role. It has a direct input into the success of the venture and of the company as a whole.

It is greatly to the credit of McDonald’s that their long-standing employees are the first to achieve this award.

The second reason why their success is significant is that it will do a great deal to raise the profile of high-level vocational qualifications. At long last in this country we are beginning to give proper weight to attainments which are directly linked to the world of work. There is still some way to go, that is why it is vital that we celebrate achievements such as these.

ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council which I chair, has responsibility for the training and recruitment needs of the construction industry right across the spectrum, from craft apprentices to postgraduate professional qualifications. The fact that ConstructionSkills brings together a very wide range of skills in the industry means that we can now begin to tackle recruitment and training in an holistic way. Undergraduate level entry into construction-related courses is a perennial challenge. This year we’ve been directing more of our efforts during our annual “Positive Image” campaign at this age group.

We are also keen to strengthen and broaden the vocational route into higher education. At both a strategic and operational level we are key stakeholders in the overhaul of the learning and skills sector signalled by the Success for All Initiative. We are committed to supporting the roll-out and development of the Construction Centres of Vocational Excellence network. We are working with Hull College to develop their Construction Scholarship programme and with Kingston University and a number of further education colleges across London to develop progression routes for Advanced Modern Apprentices into higher education. We are also working closely with universities to demonstrate measurable examples of good practice to encourage further industry and higher education interface.

The construction industry lends itself to the concept of lifelong learning like almost no other. Whether you enter as an apprentice or as a graduate, there are always new skills to be learned and old ones to be brushed up and upgraded. The achievements we are marking today celebrate that.

Occasions like this help to underpin the image of a dynamic, open construction industry, which rewards hard work and enterprise and is full of opportunity. The more we can get that message across, the more good quality people will want to join the industry and the more successful we will be. Congratulations to you all and every good wish for the future.

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