Whether it’s learning a new skill to use on-site or how to manage your accounts, there are so many courses and online education opportunities out there to help you take the next step in your career in construction or just add another string to your bow. But where do you even start? Here, we take a look at some of our favourite resources that you should definitely be taking advantage of!
CITB
The Construction Industry Training Board, also known as CITB, is a great place to start when it comes to training. This is the official Government-run training board for the construction industry, so you’ll know that the courses will be accepted across the sector.
There are lots of courses available, from easy to access online ones that you can complete in your own time, to full-day in-person sessions which will give you a more hands-on experience. Here are some of their courses that we recommend looking into:
Site Safety Plus (SSP): These are suitable no matter how new you are to the industry, and are designed to give you the essential skills needed to progress with on-site safety and management. There are 12 different courses available and these range from the one-day Health and Safety Awareness course, to the Site Management Safety Training Scheme which is spread over five days.
If you’ve already taken one of the courses, but feel a bit rusty, you can even go for a refresher course to make sure you’re keeping up with the latest health and safety practices.
Does this sound like something you’d like to sign up to? Visit their website to search for a nearby course.
Site Management Environmental Training Scheme: If you want to take a step up and become a site manager, we’d suggest taking this online course. This will help improve your general knowledge of environmental management, and will make sure you have the skills you need to effectively run a site. Key topics the course covers include energy management, ecology and biodiversity, soil management and contamination control.
The cost for this is £149, but a Tier 2 grant payment of £70 is available for employers.
Saint-Gobain
If you’re looking to learn and develop more practical skills, our parent company Saint-Gobain also have a range of courses that you can take part in.
Weber CPD Seminars: These seminars are RIBA-approved (the Royal Institute of British Architects), and will give you in-depth knowledge of a range of solutions for the construction industry. The seminars each focus on a topic – the Render Protected External Wall Insulation (EWI) seminar, for example, is broken down into four sections like so:
Part 1: What is External Wall Insulation? Where and how is it used?
Part 2: Performance of External Wall Insulation and the associated regulations
Part 3: System types and available finishes
Part 4: Application of External Wall Insulation systems and their specification
These types of seminars are great for gaining a deeper understanding of not just how to use a product, but why it’s so important in the first place. Follow this link to find the right one for you.
British Gypsum installer courses: From developing basic skills to learning more advanced ones, these courses are designed to give you practical and useful guidance. Here are just a few that they have on offer:
Plastering courses: Available at their technical academies, the courses vary from beginner to advanced levels. The three-day Skim Finishing & Basic Trowel Skills course is great if you’re at the start of your career and really want to nail the basics. The Thistle Undercoat & Finish Coat Plasters course on the other hand, is designed for plasterers who mainly do skimming work on site, and need to gain an understanding of applying backing coat and subsequent finish coat plasters to backgrounds.
Drylining courses: Similar to the plastering courses, drylining training is offered at the British Gypsum technical academies. If you want to get to grips with the basics of drylining, the Dot and Dab course is perfect for you. The Sound Solutions course, on the other hand, is a bit more technical, and will teach you all about acoustics to help you resolve noise related issues for customers.
Loft insulation training: Pre-accredited by the Insulation Assurance Authority (IAA) to comply with the Minimum Technical Competence requirements for PAS2030-17, this half-day course is ideal if you’re looking to upskill and are either already TrustMark Approved or are working on getting accredited.
Although this blog only scratches the surface on the types of training courses that are out there, it will hopefully give you an idea of where you can find the best one for you. For further information, make sure you check out the Saint Gobain training hub.
