ACCELERATE TO INNOVATE

Skillnet Ireland and CitA are providing upskilling and business supports to the construction sector through the new Skillnet MMC Accelerate initiative

Skillnet Ireland and industry body Construction IT Alliance (CitA) have collaborated to provide businesses with upskilling resources to accelerate the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). The new national online platform, Skillnet MMC Accelerate, will provide a tool for the industry to navigate the upskilling ecosystem in the context of modern methods of construction.

Currently in development, the Skillnet MMC Accelerate platform will showcase the MMC industry, highlight upcoming projects and investment in MMC, display future MMC career pathways, align the education and training ecosystem to these career pathways and provide links to other Government, academic and industry supports available. In the coming years, a range of new MMC upskilling supports will also be rolled out as part of this initiative to complement existing available supports.

“At Skillnet Ireland, our mandate is to support Government policy and the Housing for All strategy plays a key role in that policy. A while back, we began investigating what the provision was like across skills and learning in the industry and we found there were a plethora of training courses and different types of initiatives available, but it was all very fragmented. Instead of reinventing the wheel or duplicating what was already out there, we decided to build a participation platform that would encompass all the provision providers into a one-stop shop,” says Mark Jordan, Chief Strategy Officer at Skillnet Ireland. This will, says Mark, allow interested companies within the sector to have full line of sight, transparency and access to the different training programs and initiatives available. “It’s a bit of a different approach for Skillnet Ireland, but one we felt that the sector needed.” The new resource will create a vital resource for construction firms and workers looking to expand their business horizons through employing innovative MMC construction practices. “Sustainability is a top priority for all businesses and through this collaboration, construction companies can benefit from access to the talent, upskilling supports, knowledge and networks that will help to accelerate their adoption of MMC.”

With all the discourse currently around the need for a more sustainable, lean and digitally enabled industry, it’s an ideal time for the platform says Alan Hore, Founding Partner of CitA and Director at Skillnet MMC Accelerate. “It very much drives home objective 33 of the Housing for All policy, which is about actively encouraging the use of MMC. There is so much upskilling and educational activity across the country, but it’s a complex ecosystem. The platform brings it all together, while showcasing industry research and the excellent work being carried out by the likes of Construct Innovate at University of Galway. The ethos at the heart of the new tool is collaboration and we encourage everyone working in the construction industry to use it and learn more about MMC and its potential.”

Skillnet MMC Accelerate will also showcase new careers in MMC and work to drive diversity, inclusion and the retention of people. “People aren’t really aware of new careers in MMC. New ways of working are required, along with different workflows. We need to start thinking differently about the way construction is procured and delivered; a lot of the initial work is carried out in the planning and design phase. You’ve got to think about offsite much earlier. So it’s about creating new roles that were previously unheard of,” says Alan. Companies looking to scale, adopt new technologies or create new career pathways into MMC now have the means to do so. “If we can get the most skilled workers into this sector and embracing the technology, that will have a positive disruptive influence. We see that happening across different European countries where MMC has been adopted. It’s underpinned by skilled workers so for us, making sure we’ve got a platform that allows for career navigation and career opportunity is key. I think Skillnet MMC Accelerate will play a fundamental role when it comes to full scale adoption in Ireland of MMC practices and methodologies,” says Mark.

There’s no justification for the traditional idea that MMC is just poorly designed modular homes anymore, says Alan. “Today, MMC includes any methods that are modern and innovative. For example, we recently held our first roadshow where attendees learned about 3D printing for homes. That’s a modern method of construction that has the potential to change how we build homes in this country.”

Pipeline is the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption. If you’re going to invest in a factory, you need to keep that factory and its people busy with a solid pipeline of work. Some housebuilders, such as Glenveagh, are employing different strategies to allow for a healthy project portfolio. Mark says: “Research, which we undertook, has shown that the industry believes good MMC practices improve quality, speed and scalability. They allow for more compliance and sustainability within the process and most importantly, this enables a more affordable housing model.”

Skillnet MMC Accelerate is very much an industry led initiative, formed out of extensive consultation with stakeholders around what they need to advance and grow. “MMC provides more value and upskilling opportunities, along with more career development opportunities further up the value chain. That’s what companies within the industry have told us and that’s why we’ve created this platform to cater for this requirement,” says Mark.

The next step is all about acceleration. “We can’t do this alone, we need the industry on board and we need them to engage with the platform. We want to get the message across that on a global scale, MMC is transforming the construction sector into a leaner, greener, more digitally enabled industry that will be more attractive for future generations,” says Alan. Collaboration is also key; the fragmented nature of the sector makes it difficult for cohesive planning and strategy. He adds: “Different departments fund different initiatives, but they’re all complementary initiatives. We see that collaboration piece initially around partnering with organisations that are already active in the space, like, for example, MMC Ireland, Construct Innovate, Smart Offsite Association and the CIF. When the platform goes live next year, our hope is that you see all of these organisation’s logos on the site and that we’re working with each other.”

Skillnet MMC Accelerate is hosting a series of information events where attendees can learn more about the latest advancements and innovations in MMC. Go to www.skillnetireland.ie for more information

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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine

Email: michael@irishconstruction.com      WWW.MCDMEDIA.IE