One year into the role…
This August I celebrated my first full year with the Federation of Master Builders. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and speak with many of you across the region. This July and August has been no exception, and I was invited by some of our South West region members to visit them on site to see some of their projects and hear why FMB membership is so important to them. My thanks to Adam Smith (Warvena Construction Limited), Ash Lamb (Marlam Construction Ltd); Craig Lewis (Hex 360 Ltd) and Bill Clarke (MSB Property Services Ltd) for the invitation and for their time.
Iain Kirtley with Adam Smith of Warvena Construction Limited
Iain Kirtley with Bill Clarke of MSB Property Services Ltd
Iain Kirtley with Ash Lamb from Marlam Construction Ltd
Iain Kirtley with Leanne and Craig from Hex 360 Ltd
Discussions around skills and training
With skills and labour challenges being something which I hear about from members regularly, I’ve been speaking with colleges, training groups and training providers across the region to look at opportunities for members. This has included meetings with Cornwall Construction Training Group; The Oxfordshire Construction Training Group; Net Zero Skills Hub at Abingdon and Witney College, as well as with local skills improvement partnership programmes across the region. Discussions are also ongoing with the regional CITB teams regarding support for members and the roll out of Employer Engagement Networks. Keep an eye out for opportunities as they’ll be posted on the FMB’s website and via the FMB app.
Area Board meetings
The next couple of months will see meetings taking place for both the Southern Counties and South West area boards. Agenda items include key issues affecting members and the industry in the regions; hearing about and discussing updates from the FMB National Board as well as speakers from regional industry stakeholders and other industry experts.
South West Golf Day
On 6 September, the South West Area Board will hold their charity golf day at Thornbury Golf Club in aid of the FMB’s national charity partner, The Lighthouse Club. Supported by headline sponsor, Next-Tech, the day will see players from across the region enjoy a day’s golf, network with other members and those in the industry and help raise money for Lighthouse Club. There will also be a raffle with prizes donated from a wide range of construction businesses across the region. My thanks to all those who helped to plan the day and do look out for further details on the total raised. There are still a few team spaces available so if you’d like to take part in the day, you can book on here.
Members supporting regional events
The 16 & 17 November will see the Somerset Home Building and Renovating Show taking place at the Bath and West Showground. The FMB will be there to speak with visitors while Master Builders will be part of the Advice Centre and be helping homeowners who have questions about their own projects. My thanks to the members who’ve already got in touch to help out at the show. It’s always a great way to promote the fantastic work of Master Builders and the FMB - if you’re in the area, do come along and say hi. If you’d like to support future regional events like this, just get in touch.
I’ll also be attending the Kent Construction Expo on 3 October so if you’re going to be at the event, let me know as it’s always good to catch up with members.
Authors
Iain Kirtley
With over 20 years’ experience of membership bodies, not for profit organisations and the private sector, Iain joined the FMB in August 2023 from the Chartered Institute of Building where he worked with construction companies of all sizes to support them with training, development and accreditation.
