The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) has published its Business Manifesto which it says highlights the issues it believes the next Government must address if UK construction is to remain genuinely fit-for-purpose in the years ahead.

B&ES president Andy Sneyd, speaking at a New Year press briefing, explained that the B&ES Business Manifesto, which had been put together ahead of the May general election, focuses to a great extent on commercial matters – on “the iniquity of late payment, the elimination of waste from the procurement process, and the maximisation of efficiency throughout the supply chain”.

Mr Sneyd continued: “But it also highlights the growing importance of vocational education and training – at every level of the workforce – in ensuring that we employ the required calibre, and the required number, of highly skilled and highly motivated individuals, who are fully capable of meeting the challenges of an increasingly complex industry.”

He added that the Association was currently engaged in a sector-wide consultation on the new qualifications standards and new training arrangements which have been drawn up by employers themselves. They address issues including the appropriate duration of apprenticeships; the competences which apprentices must have achieved on completion of their training; and the specific knowledge and skills they must acquire during the apprenticeship programme.

“There is no doubt that these new standards will have a significant impact on every organisation and individual engaged in building engineering services – and on the shape and structure of the sector as whole,” said Mr Sneyd.

The final strand in the manifesto refers to what the president described as “the perennial debate that continues to surround sustainability, energy efficiency, emissions reduction and the low-carbon economy”.

“B&ES has long taken a lead in the development of sustainable building engineering services – recent research having confirmed that the vast majority of our members are already involved in sustainable contracting, with many assuming a project management role,” he said.

Mr Sneyd went on to recall that UK legislation required that carbon emissions be reduced by 80% by 2050 – and that Government had targeted a reduction of 50% by 2025.

“Given that as much as 60% of UK carbon emissions are from buildings, it follows that B&ES members have a key part to play in working with their public and private sector clients in ensuring the intelligent use of the technologies that are crucial to this process,” he concluded.

To download a copy of the B&ES Business Manifesto visit the Association’s website at www.b-es.org