The Isle of Man Employers’ Federation has changed its name as part of a major overhaul of one of the Island’s most respected employment advisory bodies.
The new Isle of Man Construction Federation better reflects the functions that the Federation performs and removes some of the long-standing confusion about its role as a general employment advisory body. The Federation also now provides significantly more information to users and lists details of Manx approved construction contractors on its revamped website.
The Isle of Man Employers’ Federation was established after the First World War with the objective of securing apprenticeships for returning soldiers and ensuring there was a skilled workforce to meet the Island’s economic demands. Membership was spread across many different sectors of business and industry but gradually became more concentrated around the local construction industry, particularly local construction contractors.
Membership now stands at around 300 and the Federation provides a wide range of services including liaison with Government, employment advice, health and safety courses and testing, and notification of forthcoming public sector projects.
The Federation also manages the Manx Accredited Construction Contractors Scheme (MACCS), which sets performance standards for contractors and provides advice to contractors and clients on best practice. The Isle of Man Government requires MACCS membership as the minimum standard for becoming a government approved contractor.
Federation president Doug Skinner said: ‘The Executive Council of the Federation has sought to better reflect the nature of our organisation by introducing this name change. For some time we have been aware of the need to increase our online presence and improve the range of information and usability of our website. It therefore made sense to resolve these two issues at the same time. Recent years have been very testing for our industry and the Federation has always been extremely conscious of the need to support local businesses in any way that we could.
‘I am delighted with the new website, the much improved layout and the additional information available to users. I would also add, however, that our office staff are still available to provide assistance in their usual efficient and affable manner.’
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