It is a fact that one of the most popular workplace sectors that people to want to retrain for is construction. Of course, the construction industry encompasses a wide range of different skills and professions, but overall, it is does offer more job security than some other industries. Although the house building market itself may fluctuate in terms of activity, and sometimes go through periods when there are fewer homes being built, there is generally not a shortage of work for skilled plasterers, bricklayers or tilers.
Whilst some jobs in other sectors, such as manufacturing, may have become less necessary due to more automation of the increasing use of computers, we are always likely to need new houses and, therefore, the people with the skills to build them, or to renovate existing properties to bring them back to a state where they can be occupied again. This is, no doubt, one of the reasons why a number of people chose to retrain for jobs in construction and why specialist training facilities like Chameleon School of Construction have started to have become very popular over the past few years.
These centres are not only used by those who are self-funding their training due to choosing to pursue a different career though. They are also very popular with school-leavers too. For those leaving school who may not be particularly academic it can be difficult to know which career path to take. In the past, apprenticeships were one option for these young people and, whilst they have been seen as an option again in more recent times, they do require an employer to commit to taking the young person on for a considerable period of time. When they do not yet have any skills at all in their particular chose trade, this is somewhat of a leap of faith on the part of the employer. Apprenticeships are therefore not easy to come by and this makes specialist training centres, who offer courses ranging from the basic skills in bricklaying, plastering or tiling right up to NVQ and diploma levels a very attractive alternative option with courses for these school-leavers funded by local education authorities in many cases.
The training courses offered at construction training centres can also be valuable for existing tradespeople too, of course. Although they may already be proficient in one field, these tradespeople may want to broaden their existing set of skills as this can then lead to them being able to take on bigger, more profitable jobs or offer other services entirely. For many self-employed tradespeople adding a new qualification and additional skills can mean that they then no longer have to sub-contract out certain aspects of a project.
As many of these construction training schools offer short courses in many of the skills, like bricklaying short courses for example, as well as courses during the evenings, it means that those who want to retrain before giving up their current job can do so. Indeed, a number of those who go on such courses are not even looking to change careers and just want to gain the valuable skills for their own use – perhaps to use in their one home or to renovate a building in their spare time.
With their courses appealing to such a diverse range of individuals, it is perhaps no surprise then that specialist construction training centres are now to be found in multiple locations. With an increasing need for more new houses and the people with the necessary skills to build them, these type of training centres will surely be around for a long time to come.