The Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) and plant dealer Scot JCB have collaborated with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to upgrade the machinery used for the plant mechanic apprenticeship at CITB’s NCC Inchinnan, 10 miles west of Glasgow.
Keen to attract more young people into the industry, the SPOA has worked with CITB to enhance the training provision for plant operator and plant mechanic apprentices as well as encouraging SPOA members to take on apprentices.
The SPOA helped CITB engage with industry suppliers. Scot JCB responded and has supplied the college with a new JCB 140X excavator with a laptop and diagnostic software for trainers and apprentices to use on the machine. Previously apprentices did not receive any computer diagnostic training.
NCC trainers have also been added to the Scot JCB dealer training account to keep up to speed with the technological developments and receive their own training at JCB world headquarters in Rocester.
SPOA president Callum Mackintosh said: “This deal is a gamechanger for our apprentices. Not only will it significantly improve their learning and training experience, it will hopefully help to encourage more young people to follow a career in plant. This deal also shows how far the SPOA has come in terms of our relationship with the CITB and our buying power with members to significantly improve the facility at Inchinnan. This will hopefully also pave the way for future collaborations with JCB and Scot JCB.”
Scot JCB joint managing director Iain Bryant said: “At Scot JCB we understand the importance of apprenticeships and have placed many of our own plant mechanic apprentices with the NCC at Inchinnan. So it is only fitting that we worked with the SPOA and the CITB to upgrade the machinery at Inchinnan and bring the apprenticeship programme in line with industry expectations today.”
CITB plant curriculum manager Christopher Blake added: “The National Construction College Inchinnan welcomes the addition of the new JCB140X into the plant mechanic training fleet of machines. This demonstrates our desire to upgrade our current machinery provision and provide relevant and modern equipment for all our trainees to utilise.”
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