Graham Manly, business development director at m&e contractor Gratte Brothers, has been inaugurated as the CIBSE president for 2004-05.
In his presidential address he highlighted the current skills shortfall in building services. Entitled 鈥楾he tools for the job鈥�, his address identified factors that have contributed to the increase in the skills gap over the past 20 years.

He called for an end to unnecessary qualification requirements. He welcomed new developments, including the formation of SummitSkills and the renewed emphasis on work-based learning and vocational qualifications.

Manly said: 鈥淭he all-round professional used to have all the skills relevant to his trade. Now the range of specialist skills is too great for most individuals to have competence in all. How do we fairly acknowledge the relative abilities of such diversity of specialists?

鈥淲e must be up to the task, for this will be the nature of the future of our industry and our institution.鈥�

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor