Laois Offaly leads way to helping contractors to care for nature in projects

Laois and Offaly's training body is leading a pilot training programme for contractors working in environmentally sensitive areas with the aim of expanding it nationally.

The course, which was launched on May 17 with Government backing, aims is to provide an opportunity for staff and contractors for the Office of Public Works, county councils and other public sector bodies to learn how to protect and conserve nature in their day-to-day work.

Led by the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board, a statement said the collaboration between the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the OPW and SOLAS will include practical ecological training on a range of different habitats.

These include training when working at rivers, woodlands, lakes, hedgerows, peatlands and grasslands, as well as buildings and bridges. It's claimed that the course will provide guidance on key elements of environmental and wildlife law, risk mitigation and best practice.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said the one-day pilot course has been created for contractors and managers working in both state agencies and local authorities. The course aims to raise awareness in nature protection and biodiversity conservation amongst staff who are tasked with the development of public tenders and procurement processes for works on sensitive environments, including building sites.

It added that the training is being progressed to a certified qualification with the view to a national rollout. 

Joe Cunningham is the CEO of the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board. He said the LOETB welcomes the opportunity to partner with other agencies in developing skills that will protect and enhance biodiversity. He added it's a programme that links in to work already being done in the two counties in the move away from peat production.

"It is complementary to our ongoing work in the Just Transition region – offering education and training programmes that responds to the needs of workers, their families and communities who are most affected by the transition away from the extractive peat industry.

"Today’s pilot event is the first step in developing a training programme aimed at both contractors who undertake works in and around sensitive environments and managers in State Agencies and Local Authorities who design tenders and procurement processes for works on such sites and/or have oversight of the project. It is a worthwhile and important initiative," he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

It was launched by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for the OPW, Patrick O’Donovan TD and SOLAS’ CEO Andrew Brownlee.

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Minister Noonan said: “If we want everyone to roll up their sleeves and help tackle the biodiversity crisis, we have to give them the knowledge and training to do so. This innovative programme is doing just that by supporting operatives working in some of the most sensitive, important places for nature and giving them the skills they need to protect it. It’s fantastic to see the pilot Nature Skills Training taking shape, and I’m grateful to colleagues across Government for their support and engagement.”

Minister O’Donovan said: “The Office of Public Works is committed to protecting biodiversity across its operations and ensuring staff and contractors have up-to-date training on best practice is an important element of that. The Nature Skills Training is a positive, practical opportunity to embed this across the organisation and support the achievement of key goals in the OPW Biodiversity Action Plan.”

Minister Harris said: “I’m delighted that my Department is supporting this valuable initiative through its partners in SOLAS and the Laois-Offaly ETB. Professional skills training like this has the potential to affect widespread change across multiple sectors, and I welcome the opportunity to deliver this in support of the protection of nature. It’s vital that we work together to equip people with the skills they need to respond to the crisis.”

Minister O’Brien said: “The staff and contractors working for public bodies play an important role in relation to the protection and conservation of nature, and I’d like to encourage Local Authorities in particular to engage with this new training programme as it develops. The more we know, the better able we are to ensure that we make the right decisions for the environment.”

SOLAS CEO, Andrew Brownlee said: “This innovative training pilot will play a crucial role in providing more people across the country with the right skills to contribute to the transition to a greener economy. SOLAS is delighted to support this collaborative effort led by our partners at Laois Offaly ETB and we remain deeply committed to expanding the national green skills provision across the FET sector. Our pledge is to give every FET learner the green skills and sustainability awareness to allow them to serve as agents of change on climate action.”