MA Group Chief Executive Paul Hayman on the skills shortage, and why we built APOLLO and a NOCN endorsed hard surface repair training programme to answer it.
Much has been written about skills shortages across the built environment, property services and insurance repair sectors.
It is often described as a recruitment problem. It is a capability challenge.
Recruitment can fill a vacancy, but it cannot create the depth of skill, judgement and specialist expertise our sector needs. That comes from sustained investment in people, supported by structured training, mentoring and genuine opportunities to progress.
At MA Group, we have been considering what this means for our colleagues, our clients and the customers whose properties we repair.
Why hard surface repair training needs a recognised pathway
Hard Surface Repair is a perfect example. It is a highly skilled discipline, yet it has not historically benefited from the recognised vocational pathways and independent endorsement available to traditional trades such as plumbing, bricklaying and electrical installation.
For more than 30 years, Magicman has developed that expertise from within. Our technicians have built their skills through practical experience, coaching and guidance from accomplished specialists. Mark Henderson has played an important role in shaping the technical standards and training knowledge behind that development.
The challenge for any business with deep specialist expertise is not simply retaining that knowledge. It is capturing it, strengthening it and passing it on.
Why we launched APOLLO
That is why we have launched APOLLO.
APOLLO is MA Group’s new learning, competency and professional development platform. For our colleagues, it creates clearer pathways to learn, develop and progress, while giving experienced people the formal recognition their skills deserve.
For our clients, it provides greater confidence that work is being delivered by technicians whose competence is assessed, recorded and continually developed within a consistent framework. That means stronger governance, greater consistency and better outcomes on every job.
Alongside APOLLO, we have launched our NOCN endorsed Hard Surface Repair Programme. It creates a recognised pathway for the next generation of technicians while acknowledging the competence already demonstrated by experienced Magicman and CRC colleagues throughout their careers with us.
This is about more than training.
It is about investing in our people.
It is about giving clients greater confidence.
It is about preserving a craft, establishing a profession and creating a legacy.
If our sector is serious about addressing the skills challenge, employers must do more than compete for existing talent. We must take responsibility for developing the capability our colleagues, clients, customers and communities will need in the future.
That is the purpose of APOLLO.
Paul Hayman FCIOB
Chief Executive Officer
MA Group
