THE immediate creation of a new civil engineering apprenticeship is pivotal to delivering billions of pounds of major infrastructure projects in the north during the next Stormont mandate, a business group has claimed.
A 10-point wish-list from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has also called for a publicly-owned energy from waste (EfW) facility to be built by May 2021 to efficiently manage the region's waste resources and generate local energy, and delivery of the north-south interconnector by May 2021 to ensure affordable and secure electricity supply.
And it has become one of the first organisations to put its head above the parapet and demand the introduction of domestic water charging by May 2019 to better protect Northern Ireland from pollution and sewers overflowing, and to avoid hefty EU fines.
ICE, which is widely recognised as the independent voice of infrastructure and which supports and represents around 2,000 civil engineers working and living in Northern Ireland, published a series of recommendations yesterday in its 'Building Our Quality of Life’ manifesto, unveiled ahead of May's Stormont election.
The manifesto is centred on three themes – delivery, resilience and skills – and details how infrastructure ensures economic growth, provides jobs, keeps society safe and enhances our quality of life.
It majors on the introduction of a civil engineering apprenticeship which it insists is necessary to ensure the delivery of key capital projects by May 2021 including the York Street Interchange, the A5 and A6 roads, the Desertcreat training college in Cookstown, Belfast Transport Hub, and Belfast Rapid Transit.
With the recently published Skills Barometer identifying that civil engineering faces the second highest level of under-supply over the next ten years, the apprenticeship is crucial to matching demand, according to ICE Northern Ireland regional director Richard Kirk.
He said: “Apprentices could begin work following their GCSEs with no educational debt and a clear pathway to higher professional levels within our industry.
"We welcome the Executive’s commitment to key infrastructure projects over the next five years, and this is a great opportunity for our young people make Northern Ireland a better place to live and work.”
He added: “Infrastructure has clear economic and social outcomes – every £1 of investment generates £2.84 in the wider economy, and 94 per cent of surveyed businesses cite infrastructure as a decisive element when planning future investment.
"Though we welcome the devolution of corporation tax, its benefit will not be fully realised without investment in infrastructure and a skilled workforce."
The ICE manifesto includes a needs assessment of five industry sectors: flooding, water, waste, energy and transport. Three sectors have earned a C grade, and energy and waste have a D grade, meaning they are at risk.
"If we ignore these ongoing issues, we risk making Northern Ireland unsafe, inefficient and ill-prepared for the future,” Mr Kirk said.
To sustainably manage water consumption and to provide a solid investment stream for NI Water, ICE echoes the EU’s recommendation for water charging (Northern Ireland is currently the only region in the EU that has not implemented domestic water charging).
Mr Kirk said: “Funds for maintaining infrastructure and delivering services to people have to come from somewhere. We risk having to pay more in the future for problems we do not solve today."
Top 10 recommendations in ICE manifesto:
:: Deliver key capital projects by May 2021, including York Street Interchange, A5, A6, Desertcreat, Belfast Transport Hub, and Belfast Rapid Transit.
:: Establish a Central Procurement Delivery Service by December 2017 through which all government construction contracts (outside the Department for Infrastructure) should be procured.
:: Maintain a pipeline of infrastructure projects to attract investment, bolster industry confidence and provide greater public benefit.
:: Introduce domestic water charging by May 2019.
:: Maintain assets to the highest standard, focusing on the resilience of flood defences, water networks, roads and public transport.
:: Deliver the north-south interconnector by May 2021 to ensure affordable and secure electricity supply.
:: Deliver a publicly owned energy from waste (EfW) facility by May 2021 to efficiently manage waste resources and generate local energy.
:: Develop a civil engineering sectoral task group by December 2016 to include government, employers, schools, FE, HE and ICE.
:: Establish a civil engineering apprenticeship by September 2016.
:: Improve professional competence by giving recognition to an array of professional qualifications in procurement.