Bringing a wealth of experience to the role, Helen was previously skills director at the Finishes & Interiors Sector (FIS) – the trade body for the interior fit-out industry – and is a director of the charity YouthBuild Ventures, which provides career pathways for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).

BESA chief executive, David Frise, thanked Tony Howard for his many years of service to the Association and for “the significant contribution he has made to BESA Training and to the skills sector as a whole”.

“He worked tirelessly to reshape training provision in the building engineering sector and leaves a substantial legacy for us to build on”, Mr Frise said.

Mr Frise welcomed Ms Yeulet pointing out that her wide experience would prove invaluable to the sector and bring a fresh perspective to building engineering skills.

“I am delighted to be taking up this new role at BESA Training,” said Ms Yeulet. “As we mark National Apprenticeships Week, it is important to acknowledge that our industry faces a severe skills shortage that is predicted to worsen in coming years as the rate of retirement exceeds the rate at which younger workers join.”

She said that BESA Training had been supporting more than 500 apprenticeships across the UK in the last year and also operated 1400 short courses nationwide. “I look forward to continuing this vital investment in training so that our members have a skilled workforce that meets their future needs.”

Ms Yeulet also announced that BESA Training would focus on apprenticeships in Wales and Scotland from this April, withdrawing from English apprenticeships as part of a new business strategy for BESA in England.

“We are refocusing our resources into developing a new strategy where we can make the most impact,” she explained. “This new direction means BESA Training will become the ‘bridge’ between employers and training centres in England and will encourage employers to get involved in course development to ensure the training model meets their requirements.”

Ms Yeulet said BESA would be putting more resources into short courses and experienced worker programmes in order to support much needed growth in adult training and upskilling across the sector.