Saint-Gobain UK and Tŷ Gwyrddfai celebrate new partnership with vision to transform social housing and deliver skills for local people

Construction solutions manufacturer, Saint-Gobain UK and forward-thinking decarbonisation facility, Tŷ Gwyrddfai will be formally celebrating their unique skills partnership with an open day. Tŷ Gwyrddfai is the ambitious and collaborative project between Adra, North Wales’ largest social housing provider, Bangor University and CIST, Busnes@LlandrilloMenai.

The open day is a launch pad to unveil the new construction and retrofit skills training hub at Tŷ Gwyrddfai, based in Penygroes, North Wales.

Tackling the crucial skills needed for sustainable construction and whole house retrofit

Saint-Gobain, alongside CIST, Busnes@LlandrilloMenai have developed a new training hub to focus on delivering high-quality, recognised qualifications in construction solutions and skills that are needed to undertake high quality housing retrofit. The new hub fills the substantial training gap by providing skills in construction and housing retrofit for college students and tradespeople in North Wales and beyond. The new training hub will open its doors on the 14th of June to showcase the opportunities available for both businesses and students across the region.

Retrofitting existing homes to make them warmer, less expensive to heat, and improve the comfort and wellbeing of residents, is a shared priority for both Saint-Gobain & Tŷ Gwyrddfai. Adra has over 7000 housing stock to maintain and retrofit, and has the workforce who need to be upskilled to carry out this mammoth task. CIST, Busnes@LlandrilloMenai can provide the training and skills, in conjunction with world leading construction company Saint-Gobain. Bangor University is the final piece of the puzzle, who are currently building a research facility at the hub to test new decarbonisation products for the housing sector.

Together, through the partnership with Busnes@LlandrilloMenai, recognised apprenticeships will be delivered amongst other qualifications that are focussed on specific measures essential for retrofitting homes, including the installation of External and Internal Wall Insulation as well as loft insulation measures.

The open day will be held at Tŷ Gwyrddfai, Penygroes Industrial Estate, Gwynedd. The morning session (8am to 11am) is for local tradespeople and social housing landlords, whereas the afternoon session (1pm to 3pm) is for local schools and further education colleges.

There will be presentations from Adra, Saint-Gobain and CIST, Busnes@LlandrilloMenai as well as live demonstrations and an official opening ceremony.

MIKE CHALDECOTT, SAINT-GOBAIN UK CEO SAID:

“Saint-Gobain is very pleased to embark on this construction and retrofit skills-focussed partnership with Tŷ Gwyrddfai.. Saint-Gobain has a long-standing commitment to providing high-quality construction training.

Whether throughout our network of seven training academies, our 50+ college and school partnerships or our long-standing work with Barnardo’s and Youthbuild; providing skills and qualifications so people can deliver construction solutions to buildings delivers huge benefit to people, businesses and society at large. We’re very proud to extend this work thorugh this new partnership in north Wales with a great decarbonisation project – Tŷ Gwyrddfai.”

IWAN TREFOR JONES, ADRA CHIEF EXECUTIVE ADDED:

‘We are excited to be a part of this transformative partnership with Saint-Gobain and Tŷ Gwyrddfai. This collaboration is not only pivotal for addressing the urgent need for sustainable housing solutions but also for equipping our local workforce with essential skills.

By retrofitting our existing housing stock and upskilling our tradespeople, we are committed to enhancing the quality of life for our residents and contributing to the broader goals of environmental sustainability. Together with our partners, we are building a brighter, more sustainable future for north Wales.”

GARETH HUGHES, CENTRE MANAGER FOR CIST, BUSNES@LLANDRILLOMENAI CONCLUDED:

“The launch of this new decarbonisation training hub at Tŷ Gwyrddfai marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide top-tier education and training in sustainable construction. Our collaboration with Saint-Gobain, Adra, and Bangor University ensures that we deliver comprehensive, high-quality training programs essential for retrofitting homes and reducing energy consumption. We are thrilled to see the positive impact this training hub will have, not just on our supply chain but on the broader community as well. It positions north Wales as a leader in the green construction sector, ready to meet the challenges of decarbonisation and contribute to a sustainable future.”