NASC Publishes CISRS Training Report

*Following a survey of NASC member organisations earlier this year, the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation has published a report which it claims offers a ‘snapshot of scaffolding training in Q1 2024’.

The report, titled ‘Training in the Scaffolding Industry’, reflects 103 responses from 97 employer organisations, with turnovers ranging from £100k to £20m+, across all UK geographical locations. Whilst this represents the views of a minority of NASC members, and only a relative handful of the very many scaffolding industry stakeholders, the results shine a positive light on a training scheme that has been operating for approximately 46 years, and one which has grown to become one of the most valued sector-specific training schemes.

The report runs to 25 pages in length and outlines findings from a range of topics, including:

• Vacancies in the scaffolding industry;
• Analysis of post-course satisfaction;
• Review of centres (waiting times and booking processes);
• Course booking processes and satisfaction;
• Course duration feedback.

Click the image above to access the report. (Opens in a new window.)

From an individual training provider perspective, the report provides data that relates to a very limited cross section of both the industry, and of SIMIAN customers – many of whom are not NASC members. Moreover, a very large proportion of SIMIAN customers are self-sponsors (those who fund training on an individual basis), and we suspect that this is also the case for other training providers. Self-sponsorship varies by geographical location, and it is far more prevalent in southern areas than anywhere else. Our latest data shows that almost 70% of commercial learners at our London centre paid for their own training and funded their own time away from work to attend. We believe this to be a direct consequence of the difference in employment arrangements between north and south.

The report also highlights just under 2000 vacancies across those surveyed, identifying the roles of Advanced, Part 2 and Trainee Scaffolders, along with Labourers, as being the roles in demand. Dave Randles, Operations Director at SIMIAN commented:

“The skills shortage is something that is prevalent across the whole UK economy, and the inclusion of this kind of data in an industry-specific training report could lead some to believe that there is a direct link between the CISRS scheme and a lack of skilled workers. From SIMIAN’s perspective, this is categorically not the case, and we believe it is more reflective of UK PLC’s approach to its workforce over the past few decades. Further to that, our vast experience in working with schools has shown us that many young people just don’t currently see the construction industry as an attractive career proposition. The construction industry in general needs to do more to promote construction as a solid career choice to those that will represent the future of it.”

Across the regions (London & South East, Midlands, North and North Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and South and South West) over 81% of respondents reported that waiting times for CISRS courses were between 0 and 3 months, and we believe this dispels any notion of excessive waiting times acting as a barrier to industry new entrants or the upskilling of existing workers.

Speaking of waiting times, Jackie Thomason, Commercial Director at SIMIAN said:

 “As with all training providers, we work hard to ensure that the products that our customers want are available to buy. We operate within very strict restrictions on delegate numbers for CISRS courses, so availability is invariably a trade-off against ensuring that training is commercially viable – on that basis we need a degree of certainty that any product will sell, and that training courses will be either full or near to full.  Additionally, our schedule of training is data-driven, and we look very carefully at our customer database when forecasting what training will be required, so this is a scientific consideration, and not something that we take lightly.”

Other report headlines include:

• 86% of respondents are satisfied with course booking arrangements;
• Apprenticeship take up is more prevalent within higher turnover businesses, this is likely to be as a consequence of the apprenticeship levy;
• 87% of respondents reported that they were satisfied with the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours that trainees obtain during training;
• 57% of those surveyed suggested that the duration of CISRS training courses should either remain the same duration or be increased in duration. The size of organisations making these suggestions was very broadly split.

Speaking of the report, SIMIAN Managing Director, Simon Hughes said:

“Although this report represents a minority of those working in the scaffolding industry, the findings provide a good insight that CISRS and the training it mandates is viewed positively by industry. CISRS is extremely well established, and its evolution over the years means it is often viewed as an example of how industry training schemes should be operated, and also be influenced by the needs of the industry it serves. Given the risks involved in scaffolding, its accident record is enviable, and this is attributable in no small part to the high levels of emphasis placed on safety during CISRS training courses.

 As the MD of a business that seeks to continuously improve and was recently rated ‘good’ by OfSTED, we fully support any initiatives to improve and enrich the training that we provide, and we look forward to working with CISRS in the years ahead to achieve this.”

*The data referenced within this report represent survey findings of all CISRS training providers, and not just that relating to SIMIAN.