Government Leader of the House and Chief Whip Jane Hutt AM has welcomed plans to build a unique £6.5m construction training centre which will train 1,100 people per year across Wales.
Addressing CITB Wales’ Board Dinner, the Minister spoke about the potential of the new Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC), and also highlighted the Welsh Government’s:
- Intention to provide industry with a clear pipeline of public sector projects;
- Support for construction being recognised as an attractive career choice;
- Commitment to developing the skills base in Wales, as an imperative to its commitment to tackling poverty and disadvantage.
The CWIC will see partners from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and CITB develop a unique ‘Hub and Spoke’ training framework to deliver specialist construction training at all levels across all sectors and supply chains in Wales.
The CWIC’s “Hub” will be based at the University’s SA1 Swansea Waterfront. The “Spokes” will be located at colleges across Wales including: Coleg Sir Gâr, Coleg Ceredigion, Coleg Cambria in North Wales and Coleg y Cymoedd in South East Wales.
The CITB-funded CWIC (which will be constructed and open in September 2018) will also work closely with the first new school of architecture in Wales for 120 years, which is part of UWTSD.
Speaking on CWIC at CITB Wales’ Board Dinner the Minister said: “I’m pleased that the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and a consortium led by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, is establishing the Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC), to offer state-of-the-art facilities and world-class training for individuals and construction companies. Congratulations, it’s really great to hear about this centre.
“The Welsh Government is committed to supporting the construction sector and our joint investment program with CITB, Construction Futures Wales, which is targeted at facilitating the growth and development of companies has been, and continues to be, a success.”
Mark Bodger, Strategic Partnerships Director for CITB Cymru Wales, said: “Over the years some apprentices have had to leave Wales to gain industry-recognised construction skills across the border. The CWIC will help ensure Wales has home-grown skills in place to meet the construction industry’s current and future needs. CWIC will be a major step forward for the construction industry in Wales.”
Gerald Naylor, Director Construction Wales Innovation Centre, said: “CWIC is already making strong connections between employers and the collaborative partnerships formed to deliver the specialist training courses and engagement events. The combined CWIC event with the Royal Society of Architects Wales and Constructing Excellence Wales drawing over 70 delegates is a perfect example of working together for the benefit of the wider industry.”
In addition to the CWIC, the Minister spoke of the “importance of the construction sector, one of our key priority sectors” and welcomed the contribution made to the sector by CITB Wales.
The Minister acknowledged how the construction sector has “come together to develop “GoConstruct, the first industry wide interactive portal showcasing the wide variety of jobs in construction”.
She added that the Government’s intention was to “provide industry with a clear pipeline of public sector projects” stating that “with several large infrastructure projects in the pipeline it is crucial that construction is recognised as an attractive career choice. Large projects will bring their challenges, as well as opportunities to promote construction careers, so providing good career advice is vital.”
She added: “The Welsh Government wants to showcase opportunities and broker strong links between employers, colleges and universities, to help young people and jobseekers get the skills employers need. Developing the skills base of our citizens is imperative to the Welsh Government’s commitment to tackling poverty and disadvantage.”
Concluding her speech the Minister, who said the Welsh Government is “committed to apprenticeships”, citing their aim to create at least 100,000 all age apprenticeships over the next 5 years, said: “With many strategic infrastructure projects planned, offering huge opportunities, these are exciting times for the construction sector.”
