ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 05 NEWS www.cdlweb.info Raising the Standards in Air Conditioning Distribution SPONSORED BY FETA POLL REVEALS LABOUR MARKET FEARS A poll of FETA members suggests that the labour market is currently the number one area of concern for firms operating in the built environment. Industry uncertainty and a shortage of skilled labour has pushed labour costs higher and left businesses struggling to recruit the experienced personnel they need. What’s more, with the labour market stretched, many firms also face concerns over retaining existing workers. With 43% of respondents to the poll citing the labour market as the biggest issue facing their business, it’s clear that recruitment become a significant problem for FETA members, however this is by no means the only area of concern. Availability of raw materials (21%) and rising energy costs (14%) were also high on the list of issues being faced by respondents – problems that could well get worse before they get better. Chris Yates, FETA chief executive, said: “The results of this poll reflect the challenging labour market and ongoing skills shortage in the industry. At FETA we are committed to supporting members struggling to fill vacancies by assisting our associations in the development of training pathways and encouraging employers to explore recruitment schemes such as the Government’s Way to Work programme.” The Way to Work campaign is a national push to fill vacancies and help individuals back into the world of work. Those looking to fill a vacancy are allocated a named employer adviser in a local Jobcentre and granted access to a range of recruitment services. For advice on business recruitment call the Employer Services Line on 0800 169 0178 or email employer.services@dwp.gov.uk ACRIB supporting skills The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB) operates an active education and skills committee which brings together representatives of the seven trade associations and institutes that comprise the ACRIB umbrella body. This year, it is supporting two significant skills initiatives for the RACHP sector. RACHPSkills UK, organised as part of the World Skills UK portfolio, is a practical competition which promotes skills and raising of standards, as well as showcasing the talent of apprentice competitors at skills events. ACRIB has o ered prizes for all finalists that have been identified at the regional heats that have taken place this year, and several of the education committee members have volunteered as competition judges. We wish all this year's finalists the best of luck. The ACRIB SKILLcard forms a part of the Engineering Services SKILLcard scheme recognised by the pan-industry Construction Skills Certification Scheme. The ACRIB SKILLcard is unique in that all holders must have a current F Gas Certificate and can include various specific refrigerant qualifications on their card, allowing them to use their ACRIB SKILLcard to demonstrate that they can safely handle not just HFCs but also carbon dioxide, flammables or ammonia. The ACRIB SKILLcard is available as Gold (advanced), Blue (skilled) or White (refrigerant handler). There are currently nearly 6,000 of these specialised cards in use. Find out more about ACRIB and how it is supporting education, including a searchable list of RACHP training providers, at www.acrib.org.uk