Building skills for the future
Tarmac focus on skills and recruitment at Mineral Products Association’s annual conference
TARMAC, the headline sponsors at the Mineral Products Association’s annual conference and AGM for 2017, which took place in London on 7 June, used the event to promote the hard work they are currently doing in positioning construction as an aspirational career choice, and on skills and continuous professional development across the industry.
The UK’s leading construction materials firm also highlighted the importance of recruiting ‘new blood’ into the sector via higher apprenticeships and graduate schemes. During the event, a team of current Tarmac graduates and minerals management students was on hand to talk to delegates about their career paths and opportunities.
The theme of the MPA Mineral Products 2017 Conference was ‘Adapting to Change: Facing the Challenges…Showcasing the Industry’. The day focused on addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by political changes, most notably Brexit, and the effects on the economy and construction industry.
Keynote speakers included: Sir Simon Fraser, managing partner at Flint Global; and Daniel Mahoney, deputy director and head of economic research at the Centre for Policy Studies. There were also panel debates on the Industrial Strategy and its potential implications for the mineral products industry.
Laboratory technician Gabrielle Jewett (pictured left) and trainee supervisor Abbey Withers (centre), both currently on year one of the Minerals Management degree, represented Tarmac on the company’s stand during the event.
Ms Withers said: ‘We’ve had a fantastic day at the conference and enjoyed sharing our experiences. Gabrielle and I have always been really well supported by the business, with the Minerals Management degree serving as a great example of how we’re being encouraged to continually build on our skills.’
