fenestration EDUCATION
Entering industry is a truly viable alternative to further education – GQA Qualifications Limited
Education is one of the hottest topics of the day. The recent issues surrounding the awarding of grades for GCSE’s and particularly A Levels followed swiftly on the tail of the Universities Minister stating quite categorically that in their opinion the education system had for too long been geared to sending young people onto courses that did nothing to prepare them for later life.
You might well ask why we are discussing this in a fenestration magazine, let me try to explain. My name is Mick Clayton, I am the CEO of the fenestration industry’s leading awarding body GQA Qualifications. For over 25 years we have been involved in the development of the fenestration sector’s qualifications, with the content directly relevant to the roles which people in the industry carry out.
Completely opposite to the perception of the universities minister about the relevance of many of the degree courses available these days, all our qualifications prepare learners for the role they are going to undertake in their day to day job; enable them to learn life skills along the way; and give them a direct career progression route through ongoing learning and achievement.
The fenestration industry is truly vibrant, worth over £4.6 billion per year to the UK economy and is so far removed in reality from the negative perception that some people have of it as the ‘double glazing’ industry.
Take the Shard in London for example, one of the most iconic structures to adorn any skyline anywhere in the world – that is a product of the Fenestration Industry, a truly amazing glass structure, and typical of the kind of buildings we
see going up in every town and city in the world – glass cities for the future, made with the most technically advanced, high performing, thermally efficient and environmentally friendly materials there are. That is the Fenestration Industry and workers on those structures are qualified to do their jobs through our learning and qualifications programmes.
The Fenestration Industry is one of the most exciting industries to forge a career in – for those who are hands on and want to install windows, doors and glazing; those who want to manufacture the products; those who have a technical outlook and want to design and create the amazing products that go into structures like the Shard; those with a preference for customer service roles, sales or marketing. All skills that can be underpinned by formal, relevant qualifications to set people on the right career paths and with the opportunity to continue their development through CPD (Continuous Personal Development) programmes – learning for life.
Recent YouGov Survey
In every industry you find people who are truly passionate about what they do; I am no different to that. Generally, it’s a really positive thing, but occasionally it can lead us to have a blinkered view of things, and so during August we commissioned a survey by YouGov to sense check our own thoughts on certain key issues.
YouGov asked parents with children under the age of 18 the following questions:
For decades we have been recruiting too many young people on to courses that do nothing to improve their life chances or help with their career goals” As a parent, to what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Click the Image To See The Results
There is increasing talk about vocational training and/ or vocational qualifications as alternative career paths for young people instead of university. To what extent do you agree or disagree that this approach could be beneficial to young people? Click the Image To See The Results
How familiar, if at all, would you say you are with the term ‘Fenestration’?
Click the Image To See The Results
To what extent, if at all, were you aware that there are over 25 career paths in the fenestration industry in the UK, all with formal relevant qualifications and training? Click the Image To See The Results
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4677 adults, of which 1,011 were parents with children 18+ or younger. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th – 7th August 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
Perhaps for a minute just consider for yourself what your own answers might be to these questions?
For us it confirmed what we thought – that there is frustration with the emphasis that the education sector places on pushing young people to university with not enough consideration as to what it might mean for them in the longer term; that there is an extremely positive attitude towards children entering industry, and taking vocational career paths and qualifications; but that, as we suspected, our industry has not done enough to communicate what it can offer to the wider public.
That will be where we are going to focus our energies over the coming months here in the Improve Magazine, and in the next issue we will tell you about how you can get more information about joining the Fenestration Industry if you are thinking about opportunities for the children in your household, or indeed a career change for yourself.
However, you can also ask for more information by emailing us at www.marketing@gqa.com and simply put ‘More information’ in the title bar.
GQA Qualifications Limited, 12 O’clock Court, 21 Attercliffe Road, Sheffield S4 7WW www.gqaqualifications.com 0114 272 0033 @gqaquals