The Institute of Carpenters (IOC) received funding, which started in April 2023, for over two years from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to enable the development, testing and delivery of the IOC Mentoring Champions programme, initially across 10 IOC member colleges in England, Scotland and Wales.
The programme connects cohorts of individual learners and apprentices with mentor volunteers, drawn from the IOC membership.
Long established in their careers in wood, the IOC mentors have delivered countless jobs for clients, and the IOC and CITB believe that mentoring can help bring resilience and retention through support and a new perspective.
The grant is part of CITB’s ongoing investment into improving outcomes for apprenticeships through innovative approaches that work for employers as well as learners and training providers.
Mentoring is an effective way to improve performance and increase retention rates in apprenticeships. It can also help learners gain confidence and self-esteem, as well as develop new skills.
This grant-funded project will also provide mentoring skills training for the IOC mentor volunteers and support for them to develop their knowledge about problems facing young adults. The mentors will learn to identify these issues, and procedures will be in place to get their mentees the assistance they might need. Overcoming these challenges helps to achieve success in their training programmes and secure long-term employment.
This project also links to the IOC’s Timber Industry College Hubs, an initiative which connects timber supply chain businesses to colleges, tutors and students in their regions. In showcasing the range of employment opportunities, students can see how their much-needed qualifications and training can be applied.
As the landscape in the UK continues to evolve into one which recognises the importance of training in craft skills and apprenticeships, we were excited to announce that the IOC Mentoring Champions initiative has won such strong support from CITB.
As a nation, we still need to be doing more, but we celebrate CITB’s recognition of this initiative, and our perseverance. Partnering with a host of our timber industry connections such as TDUK to deliver this outreach is bringing great added value to our college network.
“CITB understands the importance of mentoring in encouraging career entry, progression, and retention,” said Barry Dawson, a senior customer engagement manager the CITB. “There are fundamental links between the mentoring concept that the IOC proposed and our own strategic plans.
“There is absolute merit in the IOC’s Mentoring Champions project and the benefits it will bring to learners, apprentices, colleges, and industry.”
Two Timber Industry College Hub events were held last year – at Lincoln College in June 2023 and at Building Crafts College London in November 2023.
This year’s Timber Industry College Hub events include at Neath Port Talbot College on February 1; at West Suffolk College on March 18; at Inverness College, in collaboration with the CITB on April 23; and at New College Durham, with the CITB, on May 21.
The programme continues with two more events planned at Leeds College of Building in September and at Newcastle & Stafford College Group in November.
The programme will conclude by the end of March 2025 with the last two IOC events probably being held at IOC colleges in the south/south-west of England.
