The board of the UKWoodchain (UKW), which previously fulfilled the role of Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the timber industry, has called a creditors’ meeting to put the company into voluntary liquidation.
The organisation has proposed Burton Sweet of Shrewsbury as liquidators and the meeting will take place at the latter’s office on October 14.
The UKW’s role was to formulate a system of training and qualifications for the timber sector under the government Sector Skills system. However, earlier this year, the Norton House Timber Industry Group, comprising a number of leading trade bodies, voted to appoint the ProSkills organisation as its Sector Skills Council instead.
In a letter dated September 22 signed by director Mike Marchant and chairman Peter Harland, the UKW said it “may shortly become insolvent” as it did not have capacity to “generate income beyond what is being realised through the completion of contract operations”.
It expressed “disappointment” that its “decade of commitment and effort seems likely to end” and appealed to recipients for suggestions as to how it could “recover its sector-wide support base and the capacity to generate new income”.
Burton Sweet confirmed that the creditors meeting will take place and said that anyone interested in further information should contact Eddie Hunt on 01743 354666.
ProSkills is already SSC for a number of industries, including building products, paper and furniture. Talks between it and the Norton House Group are continuing and John White, chief executive of The Timber Trade Federation, one of the Norton House Group members, said that the organisation taking on the SSC role for timber would be a “game changer” for the sector.