Post by Gareth Evans

Part 4 Handing it on- What We’re Doing- Hard-won skills- handed on  At Imara Grato/ Manna Grato, preserving niche, hard-won skills isn't just an abstract worry—it's what our work depends on. Since 2022, we’ve tackled this by building our own training programme, sponsoring MSc studies, and passing on weathered expertise through a structured, hands-on curriculum.  We felt it was wrong to simply write about the critical skills gap without taking action. Our line of work includes, amongst numerous construction sectors, Data Centre Mechanical and Electrical services, grid power, primary substations, and sitewide utilities. We are keenly aware that specialist cost engineering knowledge is held by a shrinking pool of time-served professionals.  To bridge this generational gap, we at Imara Grato / Manna Grato have developed a comprehensive training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme for our trainees. Here is some detail on how we are doing it: Structured Mentorship: We sponsor individuals through their MSc studies and pair them directly with seasoned faculty members, such as Gareth Evans, ensuring decades of niche building services skill acquisition and lived experience are downloaded to our young people clearly and concisely. Knowledge Assimilation: To make this knowledge transfer meaningful, we have developed a dedicated testing and measurement framework to confirm that critical skills are properly understood. Our ethos is clear: if we do not train people effectively, we cannot fairly hold them accountable.     We don't claim to have solved the industry's overarching problems, but we’d much rather be a small, working example of the solution than just another voice describing the issue. If you would like to discuss this series then we would love to hear from you. With thanks to Gareth Evans, who originally started this conversation.