Home > News > August 2004 > 19-Aug-2004

Summitskills careers advice line proves a success

The first quarter results from SummitSkills' Careers Advice Line showed more than 1,000 calls a month were taken from callers seeking advice and information about careers in the building services engineering sector.

Key findings show that the single largest age group to use the advice line facility is between 26-35 accounting for over one third of calls. The number of calls from 36-45-year-olds increased by 74% from April to June, this age group continuing to account for around 20%, or one fifth of all calls month on month.

Remarkably, 66% of calls came from those already in full-time employment highlighting a growing trend among 26-35-year-olds to change career or retrain for a career in building services engineering. For SummitSkills this further underlines the need to review funding available for adult apprentices.

In June, callers with a GCSE/NVQ as their highest qualification accounted for most calls, while 20% of callers held a degree-level qualification.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of callers are male, accounting for more than 80% of all callers. This is a historical anomaly of the sector and one that SummitSkills is tackling through its diversity strategy. "It is important to communicate to women that this sector is a viable and a fashionable option. It deserves to be equally recognised as a professional career path for both men and women alike," commented Keith Marshall, chief executive, SummitSkills.

The majority of calls over the three-month period came from London and the South East, followed by the North West and East in third and fourth positions respectively. However, following SummitSkills' official launch events in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the number of calls from these countries has risen dramatically.

From these initial top-line findings, SummitSkills has put in place a comprehensive communications strategy to reach each caller group in the most appropriate manner. The key message throughout this initiative is to communicate the range of job opportunities and career possibilities available within the sector.

While the Careers Advice Line will continue in operation, existing research shows that the under-17 age group tends to rely more on their local Connexions or careers service for advice. In this respect, SummitSkills is currently providing all job centres, Connexions offices, careers services, employment services, colleges and schools nationally with printed information specifically compiled and aimed at this age group. This includes an easy to follow guide to the building services engineering sector, as well as specific career guides for craft apprenticeships, technician and chartered engineers.

The SummitSkills Careers Advice Line, 08000 688 336, is open seven days a week from 8am until 10pm and offers comprehensive guidance to all callers aged 16 and over regarding training, education and career progression.

SummitSkills was awarded its five-year licence to operate as the sector skills council for the building services engineering sector on December 1 2003, responsible for the electrotechnical, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, refrigeration and plumbing industries.

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