FIS, working with developer Reference Point, has launched the first online training course booking platform that automatically adds newly achieved qualifications to individuals’ CSCS cards.

CourseSight, which can be accessed through the FIS Skills Hub, brings together details of courses specific to the finishes and interiors sector, making accessing and booking training quick and easy.  Registered companies can also manage all their employees’ training requirements through a tailored dashboard system.

In addition, any course outcome that relates to CSCS cardholders gets passed directly to SkillSight™, enabling the information to be surfaced whenever the CSCS card is checked out on site.

‘In 2012 we commissioned an Interior Sector Training Review which identified the need for an online interiors sector training portal, to provide a single point of reference for our sector training requirements. CourseSight is the first element of the portal which will be launched later this year,’ said FIS chief executive David Frise. ‘The fact that qualifications are automatically transferred to individuals CSCS cards gives it a USP,’ he added.

FIS and Reference Point worked with a selected number of training providers to develop the site.  These providers will be the first to populate the site with their training offering and have been nominated FIS ‘approved’ providers.

Dave Hall, National Technical Academy manager at British Gypsum, said: ‘In response to the Stockerl Review, in 2015 we decided to partner with four colleges nationally to increase the level of formal routes to training for employers, and help give apprentices the best start in their careers. We also deliver upskilling programmes and training routes to help experienced workers gain NVQ level 2 qualifications. The new FIS CourseSight platform means we can make formal training like this more easily available – maximising our support for the development of skills in the finishes and interiors sector.’

Dan Plosky, managing director of training provider Now Get Qualified, which offer NVQs via the OSAT route in many interior and exterior occupations added: ‘Many companies, and individuals, are unsure how to locate suitable Training Providers. Having an online portal like FIS CourseSight means courses can be located and booked with ease and managed efficiently.

Today, the government published proposals for a new funding model for apprenticeships and further details on the apprenticeship levy. Under the plans for the levy, the government has proposed that employers that are too small to pay the levy, will have 90% of the costs of training paid for by the government.

Extra support, worth £2,000 per trainee, will also be available for employers and training providers that take on 16 to 18-year-old apprentices or young care leavers. Employers with fewer than 50 employees will also have 100% of training costs paid for by government if they take on these apprentices.

To download the proposal documents and take part in a survey, click here.

The Department for Education’s new minister for skills and apprenticeships, Robert Halfon, will unveil details on the structure of its proposed apprenticeship levy on Friday 12 August. Details of the levy were first expected to be published in June, but this was pushed back following the Brexit vote.

As a result of the Government’s delay in issuing further information regarding the operation of the apprenticeship levy, Build UK intends to support the CBI’s call for a one year delay in the levy’s introduction. The levy is currently scheduled to take effect in April 2017, giving companies insufficient time to plan for the new arrangements.

With the introduction of the levy, changes to apprenticeships through trailblazers, and the Government’s recently published Skills Plan, Build UK will be working with the new ministers and CITB to ensure that “the outcome of construction training and qualifications delivered by or on behalf of the industry meets the needs of employers and that sufficient employment and apprenticeship opportunities are available to maintain a skilled and professional workforce”.

If FIS members have any comments on Build UK’s position, please contact FIS by Monday 15 August 2016.