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Product category: Building Industry Events and Training
News Release from: National Construction College
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial Team on 03 August 2005

New Director of National Construction
College

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Newly appointed Director of National Construction College highlights a bright future for Construction

David Boyden, recently appointed Director of the National Construction College (NCC), the leading construction training establishment in Britain, believes the next ten years will be the industry's most exciting and challenging yet The newly appointed NCC Director has expressed his delight at being handed the opportunity to strategically steer the college and build on its past success

"I'm delighted to be charged with the responsibility of taking the National Construction College forward at such an important time for the industry.

The tools are firmly in place to help NCC achieve its objective as the first choice for training in the UK".

Asked about NCC's future role within the industry, David comments: "Our graduates are joining a dynamic and successful industry: one which offers great opportunities, but of course, one which also presents its own challenges.

"The construction industry has enjoyed a period of consistent growth in recent years, growing by over 30% in the last 10 years both in terms of the value of projects that have been built and the number of people employed.

The next five years are set to remain buoyant with a number of high profile, large scale projects in the pipeline.

We are exceptionally well placed, both geographically and in terms of the quality of our staff and trainers, to play a vital role in ensuring we have a fully qualified workforce able to deliver these projects on time and to a very high quality standard".

But iconic projects, such as the London 2012 Olympic schemes, and the ongoing ODPM (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) housing strategy, also create real challenges for NCC.

The latest Skills Foresight Report published by CITB-ConstructionSkills, looks at areas where the industry needs to focus its efforts moving forward.

It reveals that current demand alone requires a staggering 86,000 people to join the industry every year until 2007.

David Boyden continues: "There is no quick solution to this challenge, nor is there anyone other than NCC who can offer the size and scope of training resources required to effectively deliver the skilled workforce that we need.

Over the past year, we have developed a range of new initiatives and are working hard to broaden the appeal of construction; this is something we will continue to promote over the coming years".

David adds: "It is important to point out that we're not merely interested in numbers however.

At the same time, it is vital to make sure we recruit the right calibre of students and apprentices - people who will drive this fantastic industry forward through innovation, dedication and commitment".

David joined the National Construction College, the training division of CITB-ConstructionSkills, in 1978 as a Plant Instructor.

After a range of roles within the organisation, including Training Officer and Manager of the Birmingham Training Centre, David became General Manager of NCC in 1998.

Prior to joining CITB-ConstructionSkills, he worked for a number of organisations including French Kier.

NCC now trains over 30,000 adults and apprentices every year at its four campuses and in over 60 other locations across the UK.

With its highly experienced, skilled instructors, the college is able to offer an unparalleled range of specialist training in eight key disciplines, including health and safety, plant operations and scaffolding and access.

As NCC Director, David sits on the CITB-ConstructionSkills Executive Board and has specific responsibility for the training of students both young and mature, for encouraging student diversity and managing and developing the college's unique training facilities.

The college's East campus, based in Bircham Newton, recently achieved the prestigious Five Star Rating BSC (British Safety Council) Award, firmly placing the college at the forefront of certified health and safety standards throughout all industries across most of the world.

Achieving the award at the first attempt makes NCC eligible to apply for the 'Sword of Honour', which is a highly sought after accolade that represents the top 40 safest companies in the world, according to the BSC, which operates globally.

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