By Tony Lloyd, ECIA IR Manager, North East
The Engineering Construction Industry Association (ECIA) is embarking on an ambitious programme to develop a comprehensive skills‑pathway framework to strengthen the talent pipeline entering the Engineering Construction Industry (ECI). For Regional Industrial Relations Manager for North East Tony Lloyd, this work is more than a strategic priority; it is a lifelong commitment to the communities and industries of Teesside.
“Teesside has always been the industrial centre of Britain, offering many people jobs for life,” Tony explains. “Recent projects are resurrecting the need for new entrants and, by working collaboratively with various agencies, we have to look at opportunities not only to deliver these projects but also to develop a workforce ready to deliver them.”
Tony’s approach is structured around three key stages:
Understanding the landscape
- He is conducting a full assessment of the current workforce environment, identifying barriers to entry, gaps in provision and the opportunities emerging from major regional and national projects. A working group of industry stakeholders, training providers, employers and sector bodies will support this analysis.
Designing practical, accessible pathways
- The next phase focuses on developing tangible steps that introduce new entrants to the industry, support skills transferability and upskill the existing workforce. Crucially, the framework will also address retention, ensuring that once individuals enter the sector, they have clear progression routes and long‑term prospects.
Implementing a national model
- While Teesside is Tony’s home ground and the natural starting point, the ambition is national. The framework will be designed for scalability, enabling ECIA members across the UK to adopt consistent, high‑quality pathways that meet the needs of employers and workers alike.
This initiative reflects ECIA’s commitment to ensuring the ECI remains a world‑class sector, one that attracts, develops and retains the skilled people needed to deliver the UK’s energy, infrastructure and industrial future.
One example of how structured skills pathways can transform lives is the ECITB Work Ready programme, a life‑changing initiative designed to help adults gain the skills, qualifications and confidence needed to enter the engineering construction workforce.
The programme is free, lasts up to 16 weeks, and blends full‑time training with work placements, employer visits and accredited qualifications. All learners complete the ECITB Pre‑Employment Programme (PEP), including technical short courses and the CCNSG. Those who complete the programme successfully are guaranteed job interviews, giving them a genuine route into employment.
In Teesside, the programme has been strengthened through a collaboration between:
- ECIA represented by Tony Lloyd
- The International Assessment Centre (IAC), Middlesbrough
- Cavendish Northern, on behalf of the employer
- ECITB, which funds both the Work Ready programme and the Adult Learner Scheme
This partnership has already delivered outstanding results, none more inspiring than the journey of Kieran Gellatly, a young rigger from Middlesbrough whose career has been transformed in just three years.
Kieran’s Pathway to Becoming a Level 3 Rigger
- Kieran joined the ECITB Work Ready programme in Teesside in 2023.
- After completing the programme, he secured employment with Cavendish Northern, working at an oil refinery at Seal Sands.
- After two years on site, he progressed into the Adult Learner Scheme, developed by the IAC in response to employer demand for workers with site experience but no formal trade qualification.
- Through this scheme, he enrolled on the rigging pathway for the Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Construction Lifting, Positioning and Installing Structures, Plant and Equipment.
- In September 2025, he became the first person in the UK to gain an industry qualification through the Adult Learner Scheme.
- Today, he is recognised as a Level 3 rigger, having progressed from Work Ready to a regulated ECITB qualification in just three years.
ECITB’s regulated qualifications are built around National Occupational Standards (NOS), ensuring that learners like Kieran can demonstrate the skills, knowledge and behaviours required to perform safely and competently on site.
Kieran’s story is a powerful example of what can be achieved when employers, training providers and industry bodies work together to create clear, supported pathways into skilled roles. It also demonstrates the type of outcomes Tony’s new ECIA framework aims to replicate across the country.