THE Scottish Plant Owners Assocation (SPOA) will have its Tenstar plant simulator and SPOA trailer on display at ScotPlant 2026 to highlight the important work the simulator is doing to promote plant careers and upskill operators in machine control systems.
There will be a machine on the stand, supported by GAP Group, which will have the latest machine control system fitted and the team will be on hand to demo this.
The SPOA’s Women In Plant group will also be present to discuss diversity and inclusion and the challenges business’ face in attracting females into the industry.
The SPOA will arrive at ScotPlant on the heels of being one of the trade bodies in Scotland to give its backing to the Scottish Construction Qualifications & Skills Council’s skills manifesto.
The manifesto identifies five policy pillars designed to safeguard Scotland’s construction sector. They are: the appointment of a cabinet-level minister to provide a single, high-level voice for construction and infrastructure within the Scottish Government; a construction workforce action plan with a system-wide review to align the supply of skills with future demand; protection and expansion of apprenticeships; funding reform, with a review of the current apprenticeship funding model to reflect the true costs of training; and a national construction skills passport with a digital system to record qualifications and health & safety certification.
The SPOA joined other bodies including the Scottish Decorators’ Federation, Scottish Building Federation, Contract Flooring Association and the Federation of Master Builders in warning that housing and net zero targets are at risk without a ‘radical shift’ in workforce planning.
Callum Mackintosh, representing the SPOA, said, “Scotland faces the largest construction and infrastructure pipeline in its history, yet despite accounting for 11% of our economy and employing 234,000 people, the sector still has no dedicated political lead. If the next government is serious about delivering energy projects for net zero, 110,000 new homes and the infrastructure to support it all then it must appoint a Scottish minister for construction & infrastructure.”
