Construction and Built Environment Task Group

Construction and the built environment is a significant industry in East Sussex. With many small businesses and sole traders, jobs are 46% above the national average for the working population.

The Construction Task Group meets quarterly to champion employability and skills for this sector and coordinate activities and support the strategic priorities of Skills East Sussex. Built environment is also represented in this group.

The group sets a strategic plan annually in September, to drive forward partnership activities.

The group includes local employers such as:

  • GM Monk
  • Cheesmur Building Contractors Ltd
  • OHM Energy
  • Hawes Building Contractors

Other members include national construction employers, especially when they have building contracts in East Sussex, such as

  • Morgan Sindall
  • Balfour Beatty
  • Jacobs
  • Wilmott Dixon
  • Volker Fitzpatrick

Education and training representatives and other stakeholders include:

  • East Sussex College Group
  • Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)
  • University of Brighton
  • Employment and skills departments of the local authorities.
  • DWP Job Centre

The task group is chaired by Scott Monk of GM Monk Ltd, an electrical contractor company.

Chair Scott Monk, Director of GM Monk Ltd

The task group is vital to ensure the current and future challenges of skills and training in construction are represented at a local level for employers, training providers and other agencies. By working together, the task group has become stronger in identifying these needs and working to overcome the challenges. One of the main reasons I enjoy chairing this group is the communication, sharing of best practice and ideas the different employers in Construction bring to the table to assist training providers and the local councils/other agencies with their future training and skills development plans.

Click here to read more about Chair Scott Monk

2024/25 Strategic Plan activities

The construction task group members will be delivered through three subgroups.
Partnership activities
1. Raise the profile of the sector Access the resource and expertise of national sector bodies to support activities/raise the profile of the sector at a national level.
Construction sector attendance at careers events/fairs (eg hands on demo area at Big Futures)
Develop multi-employer showcase videos with support from national body task group members (noting importance of parents) to illustrate progression, pathways, earning potential
Raise the profile of ‘back office’ roles such as estimators and surveyors
2. Help industry to engage with education/ training provision to inform curriculum/ respond to industry need Continue to recruit businesses to engage with career hub offers, such as Industry Champions, involvement in bespoke Teachers encounters and open doors.
Build in real world opportunities for careers/teaching staff and students (eg Open Doors through the careers hub), as well as job centre advisors
Progress potential for skills bootcamp. 
Look at what upskilling/in-house training is needed for existing staff
3. Resources provision Promote incentives/access to employability and skills support provided through Transform, CITB and other sector bodies
4. Widening the net of recruitment/diversity into the sector (linked to activity 1) Access armed forces organisations (e.g Reed in Partnership Career Transition Partnership contract), HM Prison Service and national bodies as a means to widen the pool of interest in sector jobs
Support tutor recruitment – eg opportunity for older workers to transition or career changers.
5. Value of Maths and English in the workplace Bringing employer voice to young people – how maths and English are practically applied in the sector (relating curriculum to real life)
Map good practice both locally and nationally, work to embed this across the county
Addressing barriers of maths and English qualifications to uptake and success in employment and apprenticeships
6. Retrofit Skill Strategy Building on activities successfully delivered through the DESNZ funded Retrofit Skills Plan.
Working with Public Health to continue to raise the profile and skills levels within the construction workforce, public sector, education and job seekers.

Construction Task Group meetings

Please find below the action notes of recent task group meetings.

The next meeting of the group is on 21 November 2024.

Contact Skills East Sussex  if you are a sector employer, training or education provider and want details. Other than your time, and occasional travel, there are no costs to joining Skills East Sussex meetings.  

If you wish to see minutes of a meeting not listed, please email Skills East Sussex and we will do our best to help.

Task group achievements

  • Developed a bid and coordinated a partnership Retrofit strategy and activities via funding secured from DESNZ and Public Health. Offering free retrofit training and resources for construction businesses, council officers, housing associations and job centres, careers campaign in schools, recruitment of tutors and new Level 3 training.
  • Development of a Tutor Encounters event for the construction and engineering/ advanced manufacturing sectors - delivered in July 2023, enabling schools careers leads, teachers and college tutors to better understand the future needs of the sector and network with businesses through workshops, practical demonstrations and learning sessions.
  • Job role videos created showcasing construction roles on the East Sussex Careers Hub website
  • Delivery of a ‘design a flyer’ competition with 16 – 18 students to promote apprenticeships in construction to the sector
  • Endorsement of a University of Brighton bid. The bid secured £100K for development of degree level construction apprenticeships.
  • Key work with Sussex Council of Training Providers (SCTP) to support engagement between business and education. This informed co-design of the curriculum and recruitment of tutors from industry
  • Representing the construction sector at careers/apprenticeships event annually, including the East Sussex Apprenticeship Graduation ceremonies, Big Futures and East Sussex Apprenticeship Roadshows.
  • Supporting the Primary and Secondary Careers Hubs through the Enterprise Adviser Network, Industry Champions and Open Doors workplace visit programme. Read more about the Careers Hub