New Plant Operator Trailblazer Apprenticeship under development

The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) has granted approval for a new Construction Plant Operator Trailblazer Apprenticeship to be developed.

An employer-led Trailblazer working group supported by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) helped devise the new apprenticeship, and, following a number of revisions to the submission plan, approval has been received from the IfA.

The working group is now preparing to develop the standards and assessment plan for the new Plant Operator Apprenticeship.

The employer-led working group was first formed in July 2016 to develop a new apprenticeship for those that operate plant and equipment. A number of employers are represented in the group including construction equipment owners and hirers, as well as representatives from other sectors such as demolition and rail. P Flannery Plant Hire and the Hawk Group are acting as the co-chairs and CPA colleagues are project-managing the apprenticeship process on behalf of the group.

The apprenticeship will deliver a Level 2 multi-role occupation similar to the current ‘framework’ apprenticeship, where learning will take place with four machines over a 12-month period to act as the stepping stones into the sector and occupation. The proposed content includes learning on servicing and basic maintenance techniques, as well as marshalling of plant, providing apprentices with an overall understanding of plant operations and supporting activities.

Although there is a requirement to have at least 20% of the learning of the job, the majority of learning will be undertaken within the workplace.

The working group further intends to apply to develop a Level 3 Specialist Plant Operator occupation to allow the transfer from Level 2 to Level 3 and provide the skills needed for specialist activities such as rail plant, demolition and tunnelling.

Patrick Flannery, Co-Chair of the working group said: “We are very pleased to have finally received approval from the Institute for Apprenticeships after several meetings with them over the last year to come up with an acceptable format. We are now eager to start the development process and design an apprenticeship that meets our industry’s needs and entices new people into the industry.”

The working group is seeking additional employers to help develop the Construction Plant Operator Apprenticeship, please contact the CPA for more information.

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