Enticing the next generation into the industry

The People in Glazing Society, also known as PiGs, was delighted to take part in one of the two Building Our Skills Careers Fairs that took place recently in both Barnsley and Manchester.

Editor George Lewis joined companies from throughout the glazing supply chain such as VEKA, AluK and the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley to speak to school and college children about why glazing should be a viable option when leaving school or college. There was also a second event that took place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

We know that there is a suitably sized skills gap in our industry and how we go about promoting this industry could be absolutely key to a better future.
There was considerable interest in what part PiGs plays in the glazing sector, including our brand-new podcast Two PiGs in a Pod, and the ability to interview and write for an online news outlet like PiGs has become.

George explained that the media and marketing companies including Balls2 Marketing, who support the PiGs networking event, play a huge role in promoting the industry, and our reasons for being at the careers fair was to shine a light on a part of the media that isn’t as well known.

One group that seemed very interested were pupils from Barnsley College, who were mostly studying Broadcast Journalism. They explained that they had recently started using their redesigned studio to host radio shows and were keen on knowing how PiGs has launched the podcast and what the episodes entail.

George explained that as we are the People in Glazing Society, we are trying to promote the people of glazing, sharing their stories and promoting the industry in a positive light.

Mark Handley, Building Our Skills’ Partnerships Manager, who helped organise the events and invited PiGs to exhibit at the event, was very happy with how the two events went.

He said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who backed this new initiative.

“In the end, we had over thirty companies take part on each day and just under 700 students visit. It’s been wonderful to see the industry take up the cause of attracting new talent. We’re hoping that these two events will be the first of many.

“Employability skills clinics played a part in enticing schools and students to the festivals, with local authorities having highlighted just how helpful these clinics were going to be in getting students to think about their careers generally, and the fenestration, glass and glazing industry specifically.

“Career Families’ were another facet of the careers festivals that helped students understand the many career options open to them as they get closer to the world of work.”

The eleven ‘families’ together encompassed over 100 individual roles, demonstrating career progression opportunities, training, qualifications and how students can start out on their career journeys in the industry.

It is expected that the events will now expand into additional areas of the country where Building Our Skills is already working with other local education authorities.

https://buildingourskills.co.uk/