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MHA+ Skills Community Objectives

MHA+ Skills Community 

The objectives of the Skills Community are to:

  • consolidate the potential of MHA+ to form strategic partnerships
  • promote the industry regionally and support initiatives to build the capacity and capability of the existing construction workforce
  • develop a safe and competent workforce
  • promote upskilling, re-skilling and conversion – so that the workforce is agile – with transferable skills
  • deliver efficiencies in learning, training and development.
  • promote a learning culture across the Alliance
  • identify and address gaps in skills, knowledge and confidence
  • contribute to the government agenda of addressing skills gaps
  • work with industry professional bodies and sector skills bodies
  • promote the civil engineering and construction professions to young people and graduates
  • agree effective Employment and Skills Plans that meet the agreed benchmarks
  • agree effective plans that build social value

How are these objectives going to be achieved?

Develop and establish effective systems across the Alliance in order to identify skill gaps, meet learning and development needs and provide access to training events/workshops. Workforce learning and development needs are being identified across the Alliance by each MHA Plus workstream that will assist them in operating more efficiently. We have a MHA+ learning and development policy – to ensure equity and delivery efficiencies in provision

use the MHA+ Learning Management System (LMS):  MHA+ can address universal training needs, in a cost effective manner, as well as also maximising the specialist resources and facilities, available from its members. The lms will enable universal access to leaning opportunities that meet generalist, specialist and targeted workforce development needs. To ensure the effective use of the LMS a series of indicators will be developed. The LMS can be accessed by member authorities that wish to.

MHA+ learning and development funding

Some funding is used to address universal training needs. This funding can be used to provide learning and development that support skills and knowledge development that assist in building capacity and capability. This training would be free to member authorities. We have a MHA+ learning and development policy – to ensure equity and delivery efficiencies in provision

These include provision of learning events that builds knowledge on:

NEC contract that supports the use of the MHA+ frameworks; 2015 CDM Regulations; Collaboration to BS 11000; NEC 3 Term Service Contract;

Use the MHA+ learning, training and development protocol to ensure that commissioning is focussed on meeting identified needs

Use a competencies matrix: The development of an MHA Skills and Competencies matrix – the MHAF has enabled the MHA to develop common highways roles across all members and also will enable skills deficits to be easily identified. It is part of the move to ‘centres of excellence ’ and will assist in identifying training needs and set up various programmes/initiatives to address those. It will support career development, succession planning and encourage career paths within highways.

CITB Employment and Skills (ESP) Plans

To enable a consistent approach, the focus is on early contractor involvement (eci) – so the use of a eci agenda, and useful contacts and guidance will be available to implement effective employment and skills plans as well as enabling social value to be delivered.

The Alliance will work with our partners on future learning and development initiatives, such as apprenticeships and work experience placements that either form part of the framework schemes.

ICE Graduates/Trainee Technicians and TPS (Transport Planning Society) Graduates approved schemes

The schemes are running well within Leicestershire County Council  and the Alliance works to enable colleagues on these schemes to be part of our learning organisation – information , ideas and challenges are shared and worked on together.

Promote the industry and expand the skills network

  • Attend and speak at various relevant conferences
  • Publicise events and initiatives
  • Engage with the communities as part of our framework schemes
  • Work with professional bodies to promote the industry and develop regional initiatives.
  • Promote the work with professional bodies and educational institutions
  • Develop working relationships with other industry bodies, including RSTA, CIHT, CECA, and ICE