So the timber industry training turf war is over and the UK Woodchain (UKW) has emerged triumphant with a government grant of £41,000 to map the sector’s career and skills development needs.
The UKW had been in a wrangle with the land-based skills council LANTRA over which body represented sawmillers on training matters. Until it was resolved, the government funding was put on hold and there was even a concern that it might be sucked back into the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) pot and used elsewhere.
The UKW, representing the timber trading and processing chain, with affiliate bodies including the British Woodworking Federation, the Timber Trade Federation, and Wood Panel Industries Federation, said it was the natural choice to represent the sawmills. And its case was bolstered by the fact that many of the latter agreed. But LANTRA, whose remit includes farming and forestry, said the mills fitted more comfortably in its portfolio.
Now the dispute is settled in UKW’s favour and it looks like good news for the future of UK timber training. It should help the sector present a more united front on the issue and, once the mapping of current training provision is completed, the way should be open to unlock more government cash for development of courses and a more coherent, industry-wide training structure.
Further good tidings for training come from the TTF and TTJ. Together we are continuing to work on a new open-access website, The Doorway, which will provide training and careers information to potential newcomers to the industry and further training opportunities for those already in the sector. The site will list courses and include the inspirational career profiles of some of the industry’s bright young things. It will link into the ttjonline.com jobs section and also provide background information on the various parts of the industry. The aim is to convey the message that the timber trade is big business, with exciting job and career development opportunities.
The Doorway pages are currently under construction and, the usual software teething problems permitting, the aim is to have the site ready for viewing by the time of the TTF annual dinner on March 23.
