Market news, 14 February 2025
BESA Launches Programme to Address Trainer and Assessor Shortage in Building Services Industry
Date:
19 February 2025
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has introduced the ‘BESA Skills Legacy’ programme to combat a significant shortage of trainers and assessors, which it warns could severely impact the building services industry’s future.
The Association’s recent study highlighted that the industry’s further education (FE) process is being undermined by the critically low number of qualified trainers and assessors. This shortage poses a serious risk to the industry’s ability to fill skills gaps and meet rising demand for services by the end of the decade.
The BESA Skills Legacy programme aims to recruit experienced industry professionals to support education providers in delivering training and apprenticeship programmes. By providing this support, the scheme is expected to encourage colleges and other education providers to expand their resources, reducing the perceived risks of investing in building engineering training.
The current lack of trainers and assessors has been identified as a key factor limiting nationwide training capacity. With the average age of construction sector workers now 53, the need for new entrants is growing. However, the shortage of assessors to deliver training programmes threatens the industry’s ability to address this looming labour force crunch.
BESA’s initiative primarily targets experienced engineers, particularly those nearing the later stages of their careers, offering them the chance to take on a new challenge while contributing to the next generation of building services professionals.
Launched during National Apprenticeship Week 2025, the programme connects employers, represented by BESA, with the FE sector to create a clear pathway for qualified individuals to become trainers and assessors. Candidates must be qualified to the level they assess and will be aligned with courses in their own technical disciplines.
BESA has established a nationwide network of FE providers to deliver the Training, Assessor, and Quality Assurance (TAQA) Level 3 programme across the UK. Training will be offered in a hybrid format, combining remote and in-person sessions. Once candidates complete the programme, they will be added to the BESA Assessor Register and matched with a BESA partner training provider in their region.
The programme also encourages businesses to develop in-house assessors to meet their own assessment needs, offering multiple career pathways for individuals to become qualified assessors, including working with End Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs) and private training providers.
By addressing the shortage of trainers and assessors, the BESA Skills Legacy programme aims to ensure the building services industry can meet growing demand, fill critical skills gaps, and secure a more sustainable future.
For more information about joining this vital initiative go to the Skills Legacy Programme page.
The Association’s recent study highlighted that the industry’s further education (FE) process is being undermined by the critically low number of qualified trainers and assessors. This shortage poses a serious risk to the industry’s ability to fill skills gaps and meet rising demand for services by the end of the decade.
The BESA Skills Legacy programme aims to recruit experienced industry professionals to support education providers in delivering training and apprenticeship programmes. By providing this support, the scheme is expected to encourage colleges and other education providers to expand their resources, reducing the perceived risks of investing in building engineering training.
The current lack of trainers and assessors has been identified as a key factor limiting nationwide training capacity. With the average age of construction sector workers now 53, the need for new entrants is growing. However, the shortage of assessors to deliver training programmes threatens the industry’s ability to address this looming labour force crunch.
BESA’s initiative primarily targets experienced engineers, particularly those nearing the later stages of their careers, offering them the chance to take on a new challenge while contributing to the next generation of building services professionals.
Launched during National Apprenticeship Week 2025, the programme connects employers, represented by BESA, with the FE sector to create a clear pathway for qualified individuals to become trainers and assessors. Candidates must be qualified to the level they assess and will be aligned with courses in their own technical disciplines.
BESA has established a nationwide network of FE providers to deliver the Training, Assessor, and Quality Assurance (TAQA) Level 3 programme across the UK. Training will be offered in a hybrid format, combining remote and in-person sessions. Once candidates complete the programme, they will be added to the BESA Assessor Register and matched with a BESA partner training provider in their region.
The programme also encourages businesses to develop in-house assessors to meet their own assessment needs, offering multiple career pathways for individuals to become qualified assessors, including working with End Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs) and private training providers.
By addressing the shortage of trainers and assessors, the BESA Skills Legacy programme aims to ensure the building services industry can meet growing demand, fill critical skills gaps, and secure a more sustainable future.
For more information about joining this vital initiative go to the Skills Legacy Programme page.
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