In what has been described as ground breaking and the biggest overhaul to education in the sector for a generation Qualifications Wales has announced significant changes to qualifications for people aiming to be employed in the Construction and Built Environment sector in Wales.
The move, aimed at reshaping education and training within the sector in Wales to provide both learners and the industry with the necessary skills for the future, will see the hundreds of qualifications that exist in the sector today streamlined down to just eight new qualifications.
Cassy Taylor, Qualifications Wales’s Director of Qualifications Policy & Reform said “The Construction and Building Services sectors are large, diverse and a priority for Wales, and the new qualifications are being developed to meet the changing needs of the industry.
They’ll enable workers to understand the role of new technologies in the sector but will also give them the ability to maintain and repair the traditional buildings and structures we have in Wales”.
The new post-16 qualifications will be taught from September 2021 and will include a Foundation qualification in Construction and the Built Environment and Progression and Apprenticeship qualifications in Building Services Engineering and Construction.
The announcement also comes at a time when Qualifications Wales continues to work with the examination board WJEC creating a new GCSE in Built Environment to be taught from September 2021 and an AS and A level in Built Environment to be taught from September 2022.
The industry, which has thankfully been heavily involved in developing the new qualifications, has welcomed the changes especially as they are geared at offering learners more flexible and comprehensive progression routes into employment.
In another positive move assessments will also be streamlined but more robust to ensure those young people choosing to enter the sector have the skills and knowledge they need to get ahead in their careers.
Gareth Williams, Standards and Qualifications Policy Manager for the CITB in Wales, said:
“As a stakeholder in the Construction and Built Environment review, CITB is looking forward to working with City & Guilds and EAL to develop new, up-to-date qualifications that will benefit both learners and the industry in Wales. The new qualifications will broaden learners’ horizons, by encouraging more employers to take an active role in developing the workforce of the future in Wales”.
