SKILLcards made free for redundant workers

SKILLcard are waiving the card fee for those affected by redundancy in order to help retain vital skills in the sector and support our skilled workers. This is a significant financial investment by SKILLcard in the future of the industry but seen by the company as the right thing to do.

Holding the relevant card is an essential part of finding work in our sector, enabling individuals to demonstrate relevant qualifications, skills and experience for their occupation.

Over 500,000 people left the industry in the last recession so SKILLcard want to do whatever it can to ensure the sector doesn’t lose skilled workers because of a short-term downturn and support individuals back into work.

See details below:

• SKILLcard applications and renewals will be free for those made redundant during the COVID-19 period
• This will apply to individuals made redundant from 1^st March – 31^st December 2020
• The £40 fee will be waived for qualifying individuals making applications or renewals during the period of 1^st August – 31^st December 2020
• Applicants still need to have all the relevant qualifications and certificates
• Applicants need to provide 2 forms of evidence via upload to the SKILLcard system
  • P45 plus one of the following
  • Notice of termination / redundancy from the employer, or
  • A letter from the employer confirming the employee was made redundant
• Applicants follow the normal online process but at checkout / payment screen, check the ‘Apply for a free SKILLcard’ box and upload the required documents
• Free cards are valid for one year from date of issue

“We are acutely aware that many people in our sector are going through a torrid time,” said BESA Director of Certification Rachel Davidson. “Waiving SKILLcard fees may seem a relatively small gesture, but it represents a significant financial investment by BESA in the future of our people and our industry.

“It is also shows that we are serious about retaining skilled people in our sector and is just one of a number of ways in which the Association is trying to support workers faced with uncertain futures,” she added.

BESA’s gesture is in line with the government-backed Construction Talent Retention Scheme that is designed to help redundant workers find new positions within the industry and avoid a repeat of the last recession when more than 500,000 people left construction. 

“Holding the relevant card is an essential part of finding work in our sector, enabling individuals to demonstrate relevant qualifications and experience so their skills can be re-deployed if they have lost their job,” said Ms Davidson.

“This is a short-term downturn that could have very serious long-term consequences if we allow skills to drain away from our industry. We already had a serious skills gap before Covid-19 and if we don’t act now we will struggle to find the people we need to deliver the vital building engineering projects required to support the economic recovery,” she added.

BESA is also launching its online Academy, which will make it easier for anyone working in building engineering services to access the training they need to refresh and update their skills. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the SKILLcard team on skillcard.info@theBESA.com or 01768 860406.