Archives for September 2021

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is pleased to announce that it will be launching a GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme in January 2022, to help Member companies recruit, train and qualify trainees. Working in partnership with training experts, Total Support Training and the industry awarding body, GQA Qualifications, the GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme aims to fund training for trainees of up to £4000 per GGF Member Company.

The reasons for this new initiative were explained by John Agnew, GGF Group Managing Director:

“In the current landscape for skills and labour, all companies are struggling to recruit new people into the industry. Currently apprenticeships are not working effectively for the glazing sector. The investment from the GGF will be an incentive for GGF Members to take on trainee and to ensure they are trained and qualified to a level of competence that makes trainees assets, not liabilities to a business.”

The GGF decision was based on both the current landscape and feedback from GGF Members who will no doubt be encouraged by this significant level of financial support.

The Government’s strategies and targets for Net Zero between now and 2050, will require an estimated 500,000 additional skilled workers for the Construction Sector, the figure includes the Glass, Glazing and Fenestration Industries need for more skilled workers. Recognising this need and potential, the GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme will be of real benefit to its Members.

John Agnew adds, “From numerous meetings and discussions with GGF Members, it is clear that they are finding agency staff are not always the long term solution to their skills requirements and existing trainees schemes do not offer training on glazing and glass processing for example. In addition, the current Government and local authority funding, is for workers already in the industry with prior knowledge and not focused on people new to the industry.”

The GGF Skilled PathwaysScheme will set a clear career pathway that will attract new people into the sector including those leaving school and / or college. The training funding will be based around the GGF Glazing Manual which contains the industry’s most accurate and up to date technical information and guidance.  

The GGF has set the criteria for companies taking part in the Skilled Pathways Scheme.

• Each GGF Member will need to appoint a dedicated mentor for the trainees to help steer the trainees through training and qualifications
• Funding will apply to trainees who are employed by a GGF Member
• Employers must agree to the GGF vetting and criteria
• Employers receiving the funding have to commit the balance of the training costs
• All funding payments will be linked to milestone achievements (measured by qualifications, assessment and skills) in the trainees’ pathway
• Funding for training and qualifications will cover two years of the program

The GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme will start with a pilot with up to 20 trainees in the following disciplines:

• Glazing
• Glass Processing

The below pathways and other will follow as required by members

• Fenestration
• Window Film Application
• Fire Resistant Glazing

John Agnew added, “If the pilot scheme for the Skilled Pathways Scheme proves successful, we will aim to fund training for 200 trainees. The GGF is making the funding and framework available but the success of this initiative is dependent on GGF Members taking advantage of this incentive, to recruit new people to the industry and train them to professional levels. It is a long term strategy and exclusive to GGF Members at present. Companies who are not GGF members may be able to avail of the scheme going forward but no funding from GGF would be available.”

Anda Gregory, GGF Chief Development Officer, summed up:

“This is a really exciting initiative and one that our Members and the wider industry have been crying out for. It leverages the GGF’s Technical and Health, Safety & Environment experts’ knowledge to create something that will really work for our industry. It’s the first of many developments we are working on for the good of the industry to help tackle the skills shortage.”

To find out more about the GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme please contact training@ggf.org.uk

To see the GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme promotional video please click here

To find out more about the courses and qualifications available from GGF Training, please visit https://ggf.totalsupport.org.uk/

It has been brought to the GGF’s attention that some consumers remain unaware (or in some cases unconvinced) of the supply chain issues currently affecting the glass, glazing and fenestration sectors.

If you are a consumer facing company, to support you in your communications to your customers, the GGF has created a letter for homeowners explaining and highlighting the supply chain issues.

The letter also contains some advice to homeowners and ask for their patience and understanding of the supply chain issues that are causing delays and are not the fault of the installer companies carrying out the work.

GGF Members are encouraged to use this letter as appropriate when communicating with customers.

You can access/download this letter here

If you have any queries or feedback on this letter or the supply chain generally, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The GGF is looking forward to Members’ Day 2021 – a exclusive virtual event for GGF Members that will include the GGF Annual General Meeting (AGM) plus nine webinar presentations/panel discussions and two open forums.

With 14 speakers including guests speakers from the fields of politics, technical and training, it promises to be a great event for Members.

Looking forward to the event, John Agnew, GGF Group Managing Director commented:

“This year’s Members’ Day promises to be a highly informative event and GGF Members’ can expect a few surprises with some exciting announcements on new projects that will undoubtedly benefit our Membership. We are looking forward to another memorable Members’ Day.”

Book your free place now

To book your free place at Members’ Day and the AGM, please take a few minutes to enter your details in the online booking form and receive the Zoom video meeting invitation via the link below: 

Book your free place here

See Members’ Day Agenda here:

Read more on Members’ Day presentations and speakers here

Access the AGM documents here

For more information on Members’ Day please email marketing@ggf.org.uk or call 020 7939 9101.

The GGF was saddened to hear recently of a number of suspected non-compliant advertising and promotional activities by various installation companies (who are non-Members) which are likely to be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The industry has worked hard at improving its reputation over the last 20 years and the GGF is concerned that reports of malpractice and breach of advertising standards will cast a shadow on our industry and potentially cause harm to our combined reputation.  

In view of these reports it is important for the industry to show the highest levels of professionalism in all its business activities both now and in the future. This includes advertising practices across the UK.

In the last few years, several high profile rulings across the glazing sector has brought increasing scrutiny by the ASA and as such, more exposure is likely if any practices do not fall in line with its regulations. 

As an example, companies who run promotional campaigns with large discounts that appear to run all year long are not compliant and this kind of sales promotion does not reflect well on the industry, or the companies themselves. Similarly, companies using ambiguous, exaggerated or unverified claims and taglines leave themselves open to criticism and potential complaints made to ASA, if clearly defined, true and accurate terminology isn’t used.

The GGF advises all companies to continue to make sure their practices are fully compliant to avoid any reporting or negative headlines. We request that you review your promotional activities to ensure they are in line with what is allowed by the ASA and make any adjustments needed to ensure full compliance.  

What Is The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK’s independent advertising regulator and their role is to ensure advertising placed across the UK media sticks to the Advertising Codes. Under the advertising rules, it is the responsibility of advertisers to ensure they hold appropriate evidence to back up claims made in their advertisements. 

The ASA responds to concerns and complaints from consumers and business, and where necessary, will ban advertisements that are misleading, harmful, offensive or irresponsible.

What Do The ASA Cover?

The ASA has a broad remit and the types of advertisements they deal with on complaints include the following:-

• Press ads
• Radio & TV ads
• Internet, smartphone and tablet ads
• Ad claims on companies’ own websites
• Commercial email and text messages
• Posters/billboards
• Leaflets and brochures
• Ads at the cinema
• Direct mail, whether addressed to you personally or not

The ASA also cover Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA). OBA is the practice of collecting information from web browsers (cookies) so that it can be used to deliver ads that are pertinent to the user of that computer.

Future Campaigns

When looking at future marketing and advertising campaigns it is essential that all rules and regulations are met and we would strongly advise you to visit the ASA website. The ASA’s sister organisation, The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), have produced a series of helpful guides that assist companies adhere to The Advertising Code.

For more information on OBA and the ASA Guides they provide you can visit their website here.

The ASA also have a Copy Advice Team who can provide free advice to companies on their non- broadcast marketing communications and the likelihood of whether they would be acceptable under the Advertising Code. You can call them on 020 7492 2100 should you have any enquiries.

Enhancing The Industry’s Reputation

Despite the high profile reports and headlines, our industry reputation is much higher than it was in the last century especially in the 1980s and 90s. In 2021, it’s important that we continue to enhance the industry’s reputation and constantly win homeowners’ trust. With more homeowners getting work done as we emerge from the pandemic, it is important to ensure the highest professional standards across all business activity are applied. The glass, glazing and fenestration industries have a chance to shine by showing ASA and other standards and regulatory bodies, that our industry is working hard to maintain the highest levels of professionalism.

The GGF is pleased to announce a new partnership agreement with PQS Pre-Qualification-Scheme™ to provide independent audit and assessment services to buyers and suppliers across the industry.

PQS offer the simplest, fastest, and lowest priced means of achieving Health & Safety Approval with an SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) Registered Member Scheme and provide a FREE cloud based Supplier Management software for eligible Registered Buyers to pre-qualify, monitor, and manage the supply chain.

A SSIP Registered Member, PQS provides audit/assessment services to organisations across all sectors including construction, engineering and manufacturing.

How PQS can benefit your business

Independent demonstration of your organisational capability

Enhanced corporate reputation with customers and your local community

Can improve your success at winning new work

The PQS Pre-Qualification Scheme

The PQS Pre-Qualification Scheme is a UKAS Inspection Body and SSIP Registered Member.

PQS offers the Simplest, fastest, and lowest priced means of achieving Health & Safety Approval with an SSIP Registered Member Scheme. Supporting a wide range of businesses that need to demonstrate their health safety competency to win work or become an approved supplier for clients across the public and private sectors.

In addition to the leading SSIP Health & Safety Approval, PQS offers a wide range of other assessment services that enhance tendering capabilities (e.g. quality, environment, modern slavery, PAS91 )

PQS is already the lowest priced SSIP scheme and GGF members can get an additional 10% discount on services.

As a GGF Member you will be entitled to a 10% discount on this service so be sure to quote the GGF discount code below: GGFPQS10

To find out more call: 0333 567 5670 or email enquiries@pqscheme.com

To register online, follow three simple steps via this link: http://app.pqscheme.com

To find out more about PQS please visit https://www.pqscheme.com/

To find out more about SSIP please visit https://ssip.org.uk/

The GGF Board is actively seeking to elect a new Member to represent the small to medium sized businesses within the Federation. The SME Representative on the GGF Board will be required to attend four Board meetings per year – though some additional meetings are required from time to time. The position is a voluntary role with expenses paid in line with the GGF expenses guidelines.

(NB: According to the UK Companies Act, in the UK a small business is defined as having between 11-50 employees and a turnover not more than £6.5m, a Medium sized business is defined as having between 51-250 employees and a turnover not more than £12.9m.)

Ideally, the successful candidate should have experience of working in, owning or running a small to medium sized business at a senior management level, be actively engaged with the GGF and also have an understanding of the GGF, plus an understanding of the issues affecting the Federation, its Members and the wider industry.

This is an important role on the GGF Board and as a director, the position has fiduciary and legal responsibilities. A fiduciary is legally bound to put their client’s best interests ahead of their own. Fiduciary duties can appear in a range of business relationships, including a trustee and a beneficiary, corporate board members and shareholders, and executors and legatees, in terms of legal responsibilities these are defined within Statutory Instruments.

Interested Members can put themselves forward for election with their expertise/relevant experience in a covering letter accompanied by a CV to John Agnew, GGF Group Managing Director via email: jagnew@ggf.org.uk by no later than 5pm on Thursday 30 September.

Greg O’Donoghue, Home Improvement Consultant and Trainer for GGF Training and its training partner Total Support Training, highlights the benefits of training employees.

Around four years ago, I took part in a roundtable discussion on training for the glass and glazing industry. At the time, thousands of installers were gaining their MTC (Minimal Technical Competency) accreditation. Given my background in education, it was heartening to hear of the uptake as it clearly showed how companies in our industry wanted to firstly comply with the regulations and secondly to make sure their staff were competent and conscientious enough to leave their customers satisfied with the finished job.

Since then our industry has witnessed many great leaps forward in training and skills initiatives which have gained wide support from the main trade organisations in our industry.

Firstly, the GGF partnership with Total Support Training and the development of their offering has seen the availability of over 80 courses and 30 different qualifications via GQA Qualifications. Through this partnership, GGF Training has improved significantly and is creating new courses (including one run by yours truly!) for GGF Members and the wider industry to support their training needs.

The practical courses range from installation and surveying to manual handling and transportation as well as courses for those working in health and safety, technical and sales compliance.

As well as the availability of GGF Training courses and qualifications, another welcome development has been the Building our Skills campaign which has gathered real traction with partnerships and support from over 60 organisations in the industry including most of the industry’s major companies and main trade bodies such as GGF and FENSA.

Building our Skills has also set up a mentoring scheme and more recently a military transition partnership to encourage those leaving the military to start a career in the glass and glazing industry.

With so many companies and individuals improving their employees vital skills, I’m surprised to hear that there are still companies who aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities available. Yes, the industry is going through a boom period, and yes, we have a shortage of skilled workers. So, I get that it’s difficult to release people from your business at a time when it really is a case of “all hands on deck”. However, in my opinion, companies who aren’t training their staff are seriously missing a very profitable trick.

A well trained employee is a valuable asset to your business. Employees with more knowledge, more skills and more confidence can only mean more profits for your business. It can be the difference in winning or losing a contract.

Customers nowadays have higher expectations and are more likely to complain through a wide array of channels and platforms. Social media comments can do more damage to a company’s reputation and standing than ever before. One disgruntled consumer’s voice is significantly magnified and this power shouldn’t be underestimated.

So my advice would be, get your employees trained to the highest possible levels. Protect the investment you’ve made in your business by investing in your people. The training opportunities are there. Take advantage and give your company the edge over those who are neglecting this side of their business. It may put some small pressure on resource in the short term but, in the long run, upskilling your staff will boost your business and dramatically improve the bottom line.   

Training at Members’ Day

The GGF is hosting a special panel discussion at GGF Members’ Day on Wednesday 22 September starting at 2.00pm until 2.50pm.

Our expert panel includes:

John Agnew, GGF Group MD

Ian Smith, Kickstart, Department of Work and Pensions

Sharon Alderton (MD Total Support Training)

Greg O’Donoghue, consultant and trainer

GQA Qualifications / Building our Skills TBC

To book your free place at Members’ Day please click on the link below:

Members Day Booking Here

To find out more about available training courses please visit:

https://ggf.totalsupport.org.uk/full-courses.html