GGF Commits its Support to Building Our Skills’ ‘Inspiring The Future’ Campaign

Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration, Glass and Glazing a Career of Choice has received further support for its campaign to take the industry to the education sector as the starting point for creating a workforce of tomorrow.

John Agnew, Group Managing Director of the GGF has committed the support of the organisation to the ‘Inspiring The Future’ campaign being promoted by Building Our Skills alongside the Education and Employers Charity.

‘Inspiring The Future’ has been designed to connect young people with the world of work by engaging volunteers from industry to visit schools and share details of the specific sectors they work in, including career opportunities. It is seen by Building Our Skills as key in helping to acquaint school age children and their teachers with the Fenestration, Glass and Glazing industry, and to communicate to them the broad range of job roles and career paths it offers.

The campaign connects volunteers to state primary and secondary schools via the Education and Employers match-making platform. Volunteers are asked to give just one hour a year to the programme, although they can choose to do more if they wish to help inspire children.

The first step is for them to register their interest on the Building Our Skills website and complete a very simple application form. Teachers who have signed their schools up to the programme can see details of volunteers local to them and then invite them to talk to their school about the job they do and the industry they do it in.

Speaking about their commitment, John Agnew said:
“At the GGF we are not only fully aware of the skills shortages afflicting our industry, but the implications of it at a very local level for our members, as well as the wider industry. While we recognise that it is a long-term journey, the work that Building Our Skills has started in trying to raise awareness of the industry amongst school age children is something we want to be fully supportive of, and that is why we have committed the energy of the GGF to get behind it.

We will be working with Building Our Skills at all levels, nationally and regionally, to give the fullest support, and we will be encouraging our membership to get involved as volunteers where they can.”

Mark Handley, Building Our Skills’ Partnerships Manager, said:
“I want to say a big thank you to John and the team at the GGF for committing their support to the Inspiring the Future campaign. It is great to have an organisation of the size and standing of the GGF alongside us. We’re now well on the way to achieving our primary objective of securing 50 industry volunteers and the support of the GGF and its membership will help accelerate that process.

I’m very pleased with the response to the call for volunteers to date, but I would like to encourage the whole industry to fully acknowledge the need for us all to do something to help raise awareness of the industry amongst those who may become its workforce of tomorrow.

Working with Building Our Skills on the Inspiring The Future campaign is the perfect opportunity, and I would urge as many people as possible to get involved.”
Anybody interested in finding out more about the Inspiring The Future campaign, or anybody thinking about volunteering can do so by clicking here