The first students to take part in the pilot Careys Construction Campus at Oxford North, the free three-week training course for people aged 17 years and over, have graduated with flying colours.
Six students, five of whom have joined through SOFEA, the Didcot-based charity that provides education, employability and wellbeing programmes for vulnerable young people, have completed their course in curbing, block paving, drainage and finishing. The course ran for five days a week from 8am to 4pm.
Their graduation ceremony was held at Oxford North on Friday 11 April 2025 with attendees from Oxford North, Thomas White Oxford, Careys, Mace, SOFEA, Activate Learning and Abingdon and Witney College. They were joined by Councillor Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, to see the campus and meet the teachers and students.
The campus is place-based rather than project-based so that upon graduation the students are able to consider jobs at Oxford North and on other construction sites across Oxford and Oxfordshire.
All students have completed their Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card training and have had an interview. Three have been offered jobs at Oxford North and the remainder have interviews in progress and work is underway to look at placing them at other developments within the county.
Oxford North Ventures is the joint venture company of Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Stanhope which, with Careys, has funded the initial pilot. E.ON Energy partnered with SOFEA to fund materials and transportation to and from Oxford North.
Simon Ruck, managing director, Oxford North said: “We offer many congratulations to the first cohort of students at Careys’ campus. What an achievement – they should be very proud of themselves. Our sincere thanks to Careys, and Mace as principal contractor, for their hard work in putting together the campus and course. Their dedication to supporting these young people and training our future construction workers has been admirable. This is what Oxford North is all about – providing opportunities for local people and having a positive social impact.”
Tom Wraight, regional director at Careys, stated: “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our first graduates on this significant achievement! We take great pride in their accomplishments. Many young individuals are overlooked due to past trauma or anxiety. We are dedicated to providing support through our campuses. We are in Wembley, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, and now Oxford, and our initiative is proving effective. These locations offer invaluable opportunities for individuals.
“As we face a skills gap in the construction sector, while not everyone may choose this path, we strive to engage with these young people through three weeks of structured learning and at the age of 17 and above they can obtain their CSCS card, qualifying them for work on construction sites. Our aim is to equip individuals with both trade skills and essential social skills within a practical setting. A sincere thank you goes out to Mick, Martin, Maddy and Madison and the entire Careys and Mace teams for their unwavering commitment and hard work in making this possible.”
Kaiden, graduate, Construction Construction Campus said: “I heard about this course through a family friend and saw it online and wanted to apply as I have thought about construction in the past and wanted to get into it. I’ve learnt stuff that I never thought I would learn and picked up a few new skills like drainage, which pushed me out of my comfort zone. But now I’ve learned new ways and different techniques and the safety regulations which make it easier for me. I would say anyone thinking about doing this course to really, really do it. It’s amazing. I’m proud to have gained an offer of a job and start work as soon as my CSCS card comes through.”
Cait Hayton, pre-apprenticeship lead, SOFEA added: “We have seen a transformation in the young people who have taken part in this course in both their confidence and learning new skills – they should be so proud of themselves. We have had positive feedback from their parents and guardians that the course has made a noticeable difference in their children, empowering them and providing positive motivation. We are grateful to EON for supporting us with materials and transportation. We’re so excited for the students to see them grow and what future they have ahead of them.”
Fiona, graduate, Construction Construction Campus added: “When I was 15 years old I started work in a scaffolding business and I absolutely loved it – my grandad and my uncle were in construction and a few months ago, I started to miss scaffolding. I kept being told that you needed a CSCS card and I kept thinking to myself that I had to do it. I had to search it up and then found out about this course through SOFEA. I have loved it – just everything about construction is great because it is satisfying to see your work and what you do expand. I would recommend anyone thinking of doing this course to do it because it’s such an amazing opportunity. Getting my certificates is one of my biggest achievements. Honestly, that is amazing.”
Councillor Susan Brown, leader, Oxford City Council added: “It was a real privilege to meet all the young people who have been learning at the construction campus. I have heard from everyone involved here today about how beneficial this opportunity has been to giving confidence and skills to these amazing young people. It’s so important for us, for our city and for our country that we encourage people to develop construction skills. We know that there are lots of people out there currently looking for work, and I’m really pleased and grateful that Careys and Oxford North have given local young people this opportunity. It was an important part of the planning approval that local jobs were created and supported but it’s good to see the imaginative ways in which Oxford North has taken this aim forward.”
The next three-week course is due to commence shortly. For further information to register your interest, please visit: https://www.careys.co/courses/construction-supervisor
Oxford North is due to open in autumn 2025.
Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
