The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) celebrated another year of record apprenticeship enrolments at its annual general meeting – but CEO Marion Marsland warns that two proposed Government reforms risk weakening training provision for specialist trades within the construction industry.
Over the past 12 months, the trade association has recorded its highest-ever apprentice course enrolments and has issued 655 TICA Skill Cards, providing formal proof of individuals’ qualifications. As a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Partner Card, it meets a key industry requirement for demonstrating occupational competence and gaining site access.
Marion Marsland said that such results highlight the strength and value of training routes designed specifically for specialist sectors such as thermal insulation.
She added: “TICA has achieved record enrolment numbers, which is a clear sign that both apprentices and employers recognise the importance of high-quality, specialist training. This, in turn, underpins and promotes the high levels of competency our industry relies on. However, at a time when the construction sector is facing acute skills shortages, Government policy must support this type of provision and not risk undermining it.”
She has already raised concerns over the Government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which proposes creating ten Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) in each region of England by 2029. While acknowledging the ambition to boost construction skills, she argues that concentrating funding and focus on a small number of existing colleges could dilute or duplicate existing specialist provision and sideline niche trades.
“Quality training happens right across the UK, not just in ten locations,” she added. “If we’re serious about closing the construction industry’s skills gap, including thermal insulation, we need consistent investment and recognition for all high-quality training providers.”
She has also joined more than 20 sector leaders in signing an open letter to the Prime Minister opposing proposals to shorten apprenticeship programmes to eight months and introduce a new, reduced end-point assessment based on sampling rather than full testing. The letter warns that this would undermine competence, threaten the integrity of the CSCS card system, and pose a risk to workforce safety and quality standards.
“Apprenticeships are about building genuine competence and any move to shorten programmes or weaken assessments risks devaluing the very system that underpins construction safety and quality,” said Marsland. “Our members work in complex, safety-critical environments and the workforce must be trained and tested to the highest standards. Anything less puts people and projects at risk.”
At the 68th annual general meeting of TICA in London, delegates heard that over the past year TICA and its members have contributed to the development of British Standards and has issued two Good Practice Guides setting out recommended methods and procedures, and publishing five Technical Bulletins providing targeted guidance on emerging technical and regulatory issues.
Its training programme, delivered through its National Training Centre in Darlington, continues to go from strength to strength, enrolling a record 121 apprentices, with 80 completing End Point Assessments, 44 passing Devolved Nations End Tests, and a further 12.6% achieving a distinction grade. An increasing number of apprentices are also progressing to the new Level 3 qualification in metal fabrication and site supervision.
Delegates also heard from ACAD (Asbestos Control and Abatement Division), a specialist division of TICA that acts as both a trade association and training provider for companies throughout the asbestos sector. ACAD, which also operates Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)-funded NVQ assessment centres, also reported a strong year, issuing 498 Skill Cards, training 1,039 delegates, and supporting the completion of 34 NVQs and 44 SVQs. In addition, it carried out 117 audits and contributed to three Health and Safety Executive steering groups.
