Exeter College Apprenticeship Expo
9 February 2023

The Exeter College Apprenticeship Expo is returning on Thursday 9th February 2023! As you may know, the Expo is one of the biggest Apprenticeship events to take place in the South West annually, during National Apprenticeship week and, due to the incredible sponsorship support the Apprenticeship Expo receives year on year, Exeter College are able to offer your exhibiting space free of charge.

We are working with the college to secure a construction zone for this event and feel that this would be a great opportunity for you to promote your current apprenticeship opportunities.

If you are interested in joining us for the event, please let Jennie know by 30 November.

Exeter Plan

The Exeter Plan – the new name for the Local Plan – has launched for public consultation. The Plan will shape the future of Exeter and will be the basis for how the city continues to evolve and meet the needs of the community, including the economy, housing, culture and tourism and sustainable travel.

The plan can be accessed online  and the Local Plans team will be attending roadshow events in all 14 wards in the city so that everyone has the opportunity to speak to Exeter City Council face to face.

To find out more please visit our website 

We are asking for your help in spreading awareness of the Exeter Plan with your networks and followers.

National Apprenticeship Show SW
Sandy Park  – 24 & 25 January 2023

We are teaming up with Building Plymouth, Build Torbay and CITB to have a stand promoting apprenticeships in construction and the built environment at the NAS at Sandy Park on 24 & 25 Jan 2023.

The event was held in April this year with over 5,700 attendees from schools across the SW. The event is expected to attract more students next year with the addition of an evening event for parents on day 1.

Closer to the date we will be asking you to support this event by sending your apprentices to join us on the stand to talk to those attending about their experiences.

Exhibiting at the event – If you are looking to recruit apprentices directly to your business, we are happy to promote any opportunities, but won’t have space on our stand for everyone to join us (only apprentices). Therefore you will need to take your own stand and NAS Events have offered a reduced rate on a smaller stand space, if there are enough employers in the sector who’d like to attend and create a ‘construction zone’:
3m x 2m shell scheme stand and online profile for £1995 + VAT per business.

If you are interested in this size stand or a larger one, please contact Alice Webster at NAS Events via the button below:

‘Build a Better Tomorrow’ – Youth Campaign

The campaign results were extremely positive and demonstrated strong engagement with the target market of 16-24 year olds:

• Over 1.2 Million views across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
• Over 6,000 ad clicks across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
• Over 40,000 likes on TikTok

Please click the link below for the full results.

We want to keep momentum up with this campaign and need your help to extend the reach. Please click below to access the partner pack which includes all the social media links and a WeTransfer link to download the video and share through your channels – let’s work together to inspire the future workforce.

School Requests – 2022-2023

To view an up to date list of requests for school engagement please click on the image to the right.

Please inform Jennie of the dates that you are able to offer support.

Monthly Virtual Updates 

Our next virtual update will be 8 December from 9.30am-10.00am.

These updates offer partners the opportunity to hear what the project is currently working on and what is coming up in the next month.

Emails will be sent out prior to each meeting with the Teams link.

These are optional to attend.

(If you have not received an Teams invitation and would be interested in joining the meeting please contact Jennie

Save the Date – Next Project Update – 26 January 2023

Please save the date for our next face-to-face project update, the venue for which is to be confirmed. Encourage your networks to come along and find out how the project has made a difference.

Please share our prospectus

Since its launch in 2018, Building Greater Exeter, has delivered many positive outcomes, supporting young people, job seekers and everyone to understand the opportunities that are available within the construction sector.

We are now looking for new project partners who are crucial in ensuring that the required work can be undertaken, and that the initiative can be sustained.

If you know of anyone that would like to find out about the benefits of becoming a partner, please download and share our prospectus below to help them discover how we can support their business around employment and skills.

Young People Visiting Schools

Do you have any young people in your organisation that would be happy to speak to students at schools, describing their journey into construction and job role?

If you have any young people that would be willing to do this, please let us know.

Construction Training Directory – please promote

We launched the Construction Training Directory in May 2021 and since then it has received more than 1,600 visits.

The Directory is regularly updated and provides information on training providers and courses in construction and the built environment in the Greater Exeter area. The Directory supports the construction companies to help them find an apprentice or to upskill their workforce and we would appreciate your help by sharing this information to your supply chain or companies who would benefit:

School Engagement 2022/2023

We are collaborating with partners offering careers support to in excess 30 schools in the Greater Exeter area, promoting careers in construction and the built environment. Thank you to everyone involved for their continued support.

If you haven’t already registered to join our mailing list to help support and participate in these events please email Jennie.

Job Opportunities

If you have any vacancies you would like featured on our Construction Job Shop page then please email Jennie and they will be promoted.

Building Greater Exeter are at Exeter Works every Wednesday for the Job Shop offering a drop in service between 10.00-2.00 or face to face appointments.

If you have a number of vacancies to promote and would like to join us one week , please contact Jennie.

Devon’s built environment SMEs to benefit from £10,000 Government grants!

Are you a new or emerging SME (pre-start or in the first three years of trading) and based in Devon? You can benefit from cash grants of up to £10,000 to help you develop and grown. These grants are open to anyone working in the built environment to fund whatever the business needs from tools to skills training!

Further information about this can be found here Digital Enablement for SMEs (DESME) – Skills Launchpad.

There are £25M of Government funded Retrofit Projects in Devon – Get fully-funded support to access them

In order to be eligible to work on such funded projects, businesses must be accredited to PAS2030 and TrustMark approved.

Working together, Devon County Council and the Retrofit Academy are offering fully-funded support to achieve PAS2030 accreditation and TrustMark approval.

This course is for Sole-Traders, Microbusinesses or SMEs who live or work in Devon, and install any of the following energy efficiency or retrofit measures:

• Insulation
• Glazing
• Doors
• Boilers and Heating Systems
• Lighting and Lighting Controls

For further information and how to apply please contact Neil Radford

Project Partner Update – 23 June 2022

Thanks to all our project partners who joined us today at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum for our first face to face event for over 2 years.

If you were unable to attend the event the presentation for the event can be viewed here

Project Partner Update – 20 January 2022

Thanks to all our project partners who joined us today for a virtual project update.

If you were unable to attend the event please click on the image to the right to view the recording.

The presentation for the event can be view here

Building Greater Exeter Activity Review

This review provides an overview of the activity delivered during October 2020-November 2021, in partnership with you, to support the local construction sector.

Virtual Project Update – 8 December 2022

You can find the presentation slides, available for download if required, by clicking on the image to the right.

Virtual Project Update – 2 November 2022

You can find the presentation slides, available for download if required, by clicking on the image to the right.

Virtual Project Update – 29 September 2022

You can find the presentation slides, available for download if required, by clicking on the image to the right.

Virtual Project Update – 26 July 2022

You can find the presentation slides, available for download if required, by clicking on the image to the right.

Virtual Project Update – 26 May 2022

You can find the presentation slides, available for download if required, by clicking on the image to the right.

Virtual Project Update – 27 April 2022

You can find the presentation slides, available for download if required, by clicking on the image to the right.

CSN – Labour Market Intelligence Report

The annual recruitment requirement in the South West of 3.6% per year is above the UK average of 2.0% and means an extra 41,950 workers will be needed from 2022 to 2026.

To read the report please click below

CITB – Business Plan 2022/2023

This plan heralds a new era for CITB, not only through its simplified look and feel, but for how we will approach our role in supporting the industry to address the skills challenges it faces.

To read the report please click below

How to attract the next Generation – A step-by-step guide

This is the second edition of the Stace Next Gen Index, their biennial study into how young people view the construction industry.

To read the report please click below

Rethinking Recruitment – 
Constructing a More Attractive Industry

Construction has long faced challenges in recruiting the people it needs. Competition with other sectors for skills is getting more intense. Skills shortages are getting worse and too few are joining the industry. Employers are facing pressures for existing skills and the need to develop new skills.

Approaches to recruitment need to change and industry needs to develop to make itself relevant to a wider base.

To read the report please click below

Construction Excellence South West – Constructing the Future, Providing an Industry of Opportunity for Generation Z

This excellent report from @CESW outlines the challenges and opportunities to recruiting young people (Gen Z) into the construction sector.

To read the report please click below

CITB – Learning to earning: Increasing FE learners into Construction

The CITB have carried out this research to better understand the barriers to further education (FE) learners joining the construction industry and to outline potential solutions.

Through this research, they present new evidence on the motivations of different types of learners on construction courses and the challenges they face, to inform CITB’s work to help bridge the recruitment gap between FE and the construction industry.

To read the report please click below

CITB – Building Skills for Net Zero

The UK, Welsh and Scottish governments have underpinned climate change commitments with a legally-binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

This presents a huge opportunity for construction businesses to meet new demands through a new set of skills and services – as well as add value to their people, their clients and their communities.

Our latest comprehensive research ‘Building Skills for Net Zero’ has used the Climate Change Committee’s data to define a skills route map for the UK construction industry, which identifies the roles and expertise teams need to meet the requirements for the UK, Wales and Scotland.

To read the report please click below

CITB – Construction Skills Network – Labour Market Intelligence Report

The South West’s annual recruitment requirement of 2.6% per year, is the strongest across the UK and means an extra 32,000 new workers are needed between the end of 2020 and 2025.

To read the report please click below

CITB – Construction Skills Network – The Skills Construction Needs

As the country emerges from the most extraordinary time in its post-war history, this Construction Skills Network (CSN) forecast is more positive than the most fervent optimist would have imagined 18 months ago.

To read the report please click below

CITB – CLC Industry Skills Plan

This plan outlines how CITB will work to solve core skills needs by ensuring there is high-quality training and development to build an industry that is a great place to work, with clear routes of entry and progression to attract and retain talented people.

To read the report please click below

CITB England Plan

CITB have published their plan for their work in England and to support English construction employers with their skills needs. This is their England Plan, sitting alongside the wider GB plan, explaining in more detail the support they will provide for construction employers in England over 2021-22 and to support CITB’s overall strategy for 2021-25.

To read the report please click below