The first cohort of apprentices to join the Glass & Glazing Federation’s Skilled Pathways Scheme, recently completed a 5 day induction course at the Milton Keynes site of GGF scheme partner Total Support Training. The event marks an important milestone in the progress of the scheme that is intended to recruit and upskill the next generation of glaziers. The second cohort of apprentices will undergo their induction in August.
The course itself includes both practical and written elements, focusing on the following:-
Who the GGF are and what they do, History of Glass, Float Glass Process, Surface Coatings, Value Added Glass, including Heat treatment, Laminating and IGUS, When and Why should certain glass be used, Pre-Processing, Polishing, Beveling, Drilling, Brilliant Cutting, CNC, Building Regulations, CPR and Standards.
On top of the technical knowledge introduced to the trainees there are a number of practical tasks which provide a foundation knowledge of health and safety and basic glazing and glass processing skills. One of which is the delivery of the new manual handling course specific to our industry.
The GGF partners with Total Support Training to bring the Skilled Pathways Scheme to fruition, which was created to help GGF members and the wider sector with a means to attract talented, skilled workers into the industry. All whilst contributing towards the Government estimated requirements of 500,000 additional skilled workers needed by 2050 to help meet its Net Zero policies.
The GGF Scheme plans to cover Glazing, Glass Processing, Fenestration, Fire Resistant Glazing, Window Film Application and Technical Administration, but as the scheme builds in momentum, more specialisms are expected to be added.
“We are immensely proud to have brought this scheme, which is unlike any other available in the industry, to reality,” commented GGF Group managing director John Agnew. “We are funding training up to £4000 per GGF Member Company and the completion of this first stage will encourage other companies to commit, after so many have shown interest.”
Further information can be found on the GGF Online training hub: www.ggf.org.uk/training/
