Tarmac support industry futures at Mineral Products 2018

Martin Riley highlights the need to recruit and train a workforce capable of embracing innovation

MARTIN Riley, senior vice-president at Tarmac and chairman of the Mineral Products Association (MPA), underscored the economic and social importance of the quarrying and mineral products sector in his welcoming speech at the flagship 2018 MPA conference earlier this week.

Tarmac were one of the main sponsors of the event, which took place on Tuesday 5 June and focused on securing the future growth of the industry by improving productivity and embracing new technologies.

Mr Riley (pictured) said: ‘Both Tarmac and the MPA recognize that increasing productivity is vital for meeting the nation’s aspirations for housing and infrastructure development, which are so reliant on the provision of innovative material and product solutions.

‘The uptake of new technologies is one way in which we can continue to meet the demands of a challenging pipeline of major projects, but we must also ensure we recruit and train a workforce of enthusiastic apprentices and graduates capable of embracing innovation.’

Tarmac used the event to highlight the steps they are taking to attract and develop the future leaders of the industry, with a team on hand to share experiences with delegates of their career journeys so far.

Representing the business were commercial higher apprentice Olivia Willingham, former communications and corporate affairs graduate Will Britten, and former apprentice and current trainee supervisor Liam Owen.

Mr Owen said: ‘Being able to showcase the career paths of Tarmac graduates and apprentices at such a high-profile event is fantastic. I’m always proud to represent the company and really enjoy sharing my experiences of working in the industry and the support I’ve been given to develop my skills and capabilities.’