Apprentices at the Southwark Construction Skills Centre have been supporting Surrey Docks Farm, a working community farm and education charity in South East London, in building a shelter for its animals. The Skills Centre, which has trained more than 10,000 local residents and helped create more than 3,000 jobs in the construction sector, has previously worked with Surrey Docks Farm to improve disabled access and was keen to support the charity further, as well as build a commitment to social responsibility among its apprentices. “We would like to give a huge thank you to the Southwark Construction Skills Centre for their continued support of the Farm. We’re delighted to get the donkey’s hard standing area completed so quickly and look forward to further projects with the apprentices,” said about the project Manager at Surrey Docks Farm Gemma Hooper. “The field shelter was funded through a memorial donation on behalf of someone who regularly visited and enjoyed the Farm. It’s wonderful that we can complete all the work in a community-focused way and get on with this, rather than wait on the groundwork. The donkeys (and all of our team) are delighted by this improvement to their living quarters!” Surrey Docks Farm was first established in 1975 and is located on a 2.2-acre site on the river Thames in Rotherhithe. The Farm provides a range of farming and educational experiences for the whole community, including giving adults with learning disabilities opportunities to gain confidence and independence through the development of animal care, horticulture and retail skills. With the support of construction specialists, Keltbray, who provided a range of building materials, five apprentices from Southwark Construction Skills Centre built a shelter base for Surrey Docks Farm’s donkeys. Donkeys do not have a natural build-up of grease to make their coat waterproof and need somewhere to shelter from the British weather. “The apprentices worked extremely hard, and I am delighted that we were able to support such a great cause. We know apprenticeships work and it was great to see both them and the farm benefiting from their efforts. Our apprentices not only gained skills valuable on large construction sites, but they also saw how they can use their skills to enrich their local communities,” added John White, Director of the Skills Centre. “Now that the Southwark Construction Skills Centre is moving from its original base at Elephant Park to a new home at Canada Water, we will be closer than ever to the Farm. We thoroughly enjoyed working with them and look forward to having our apprentices helping out again very soon.”

Top ten national and leading partnership housebuilder Keepmoat Homes is helping young people into employment following a difficult year due to the national pandemic, through a Government programme. Keepmoat Homes is supporting the Government’s Kickstart scheme, providing 42 work placements nationwide. The Kickstart scheme is designed to support those aged between 16 and 24 who are currently claiming Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment. Keepmoat Homes has supported the scheme for many years and this year has been successful in gaining approval for 42 placements so far, across a number of roles within the construction sector, from site labourer to office-based roles including sales, commercial, customer care, HR and finance. The scheme provides a paid six-month job for under 25s, supporting them to develop the skills and experience needed for permanent work afterwards. During the placement, participants will undertake on-the-job training, along with added support to help them forge a successful career such as computer applications, CV writing, presentation skills and time management, to help boost their confidence. Interviews are currently taking place at Keepmoat Homes for Quantity Surveyors, Architectural Technicians and Construction Trainees across their regional teams and on completion, the housebuilder aims to provide the Kickstart participants permanent employment within the company, supply chains or with key partners. Debbie Waddington, Group HR Director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We appreciate it’s a very difficult time for young people to find employment due to the impact of the national pandemic, and we’re very pleased to be supporting this scheme and helping to open more doors into the construction industry. Our commitment to employing and supporting young people via the Kickstart scheme complements our own business commitment in generating social value in the areas which we serve. “As a company we’re driven to support the next generation within the construction industry and placements like these are a great way for people to learn new skills and gain practical hands-on experience which will be valuable for future employment, whilst also gaining an insight into a role that interests them along with the wide variety of career opportunities within the homebuilding sector.” Keepmoat Homes has long been committed to trainees and apprentices and this year launched its first ever graduate scheme, designed to attract and develop future leaders who are keen to follow in the footsteps of its CEO who started the industry as a graduate trainee.

Eden Training Solutions has worked with Hargreaves Industrial Services, over the past two years to help the levy paying firm enhance the skills of its workforce with high-quality professional training. As a business that constantly strives to develop its teams, Hargreaves is always looking to maximise the effects of its programme with a strategic, yet agile and efficient approach. As such, in recent months, Eden has worked with the leading, UK-wide industrial operations, maintenance and engineering firm, to develop and deliver a bespoke programme to upskill its team leaders in line with the firm’s evolving business landscape and their personal development goals. Three-day upskill The tailor-made courses, which were developed and delivered by Eden’s experienced team of specialists, were created by working closely with Rebecca Drury, HR Advisor at Hargreaves, to pinpoint the exact skills required, and craft bespoke programmes to deliver these skills. With Eden’s tailor-made approach, expertise and knowledge of Hargreaves’ business, this comprehensive, custom-made ‘upskill’ training was delivered in just three days. Covering Relationship Building, Communication, Cross Departmental Working, Meetings, Operational Management, Project Management, Finance, HR and Decision Making, the bespoke programme was delivered from 3rd to 5th of February, on a face-to-face basis with six working team leaders from the business. Top grades and high morale As a result of the training, the six team leaders at Hargreaves all achieved additional skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver their roles. The benefits of this approach are significant. Not only does it provide a programme to suit a business’s specific needs, but the process of specifying the exact and relevant skills and knowledge required for the individuals taking part in the course, can save time, improve morale, and maximise a ROI for an organisation. Rebecca Drury, HR Advisor at Hargreaves’ Industrial Solutions division, which has over 500 employees at 22 contracts across the UK, comments on the benefits delivered by Eden: “Bespoke training is of great benefit to our business due to the diversity of our operations. As a business, our employees are our greatest asset, and we are committed to investing into their training and development for several reasons. “The bespoke courses that Eden creates allow us to offer relevant training to our teams which aids in development, improves employee engagement, supports staff retention and underpins health & safety within our business. What’s more, creating a diverse pool of skills helps us to deliver the most professional service to our clients.” A strategic approach to training Kirsty Duffield, Business Sector Specialist Trainer at Eden Training Solutions, who was instrumental in developing and delivering the bespoke programme adds: “The employees that experienced the training benefited hugely and I saw a significant leap in their confidence and knowledge during my time with them. “Hargreaves Industrial Services is a perfect example of a business that takes a strategic approach to training. Pairing a bespoke programme with apprenticeship training maximises the benefits for business, its customers and its teams. “By working in partnership with a professional training provider, in the way Hargreaves has, organisations, large and small, can easily enjoy a tailored training strategy to upskill their teams with tailor-made training in line with their business requirements.”

Every industry is facing an uncertain few years. Changes to the way we live our lives are driving fundamental changes in our society. As is digital transformation. The wholesale uptake of digital technologies, robotics, automated systems and electronics is moving us further and further away from traditional modes of work. The construction industry is facing the same reckoning. With new innovations for building materials and methods hitting the trade market more often, some industry insiders worry that the demand for skilled tradesmen withing the building industry will decrease. Traditional tradesmen, highly skilled workers who have learned their trade, have been at the epicentre of construction for hundreds of years. Their knowledge and expertise have helped to complete some of the greatest construction projects on earth. Developments in building methods and technology are starting to undermine the traditional trades. Hoping to make construction more efficient, modern building technologies and methods could see demand for skilled trades decrease in the years to come. For example, a dry hip system removes the need for sand and mortar when installing a roof, making the installation process much simpler. How the demand for skilled labour will be impacted is still unclear. However, the Chancellor’s announcement of financial incentives for apprenticeships will further boost the numbers of young people looking to move into trades. If the industry gets on top of learning and teaching these new building methods, we could see a boom of more efficient building projects across the country. This could improve the living conditions for thousands of people across the UK, while also providing secure jobs for generations of seasoned and new tradespeople up and down the country. It will hopefully fill the gap of highly skilled European workers who are no longer coming to Britain after Brexit. As fears of decreased demand for skilled workers in the construction industry continue, there are areas of construction where jobs opportunities look set to improve over the next few years. Project management demand within the industry is still high and looks set to remain that way. While the demand for tradesmen and skilled workers may fluctuate over the next few years, the industry as a whole looks set for a boom decade. Learning new building methods, how to maintain and run automated systems, and adapting to new work environments will make the difference between employment or not over the next few years.