skills centre

Partnership between construction training experts The Skills Centre and major contractor O’Halloran & O’Brien creates 1,000 jobs in London

Participants guaranteed training and an interview for jobs at sites across London Leading construction training specialist The Skills Centre, has partnered with major building contractor O’Halloran & O’Brien to attract 1,000 people to new jobs on various construction projects around the Greater London area. A free, three-week, industry-led construction training

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London Construction Skills Centre Planned

It has been reported that a brand new skills college is in the planning stages for development in the London area. Set to be positioned in the widely reported Nine Elms area, the skills college is expected to offer a construction skills academy which can support the development of skills

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

skills centre

Partnership between construction training experts The Skills Centre and major contractor O’Halloran & O’Brien creates 1,000 jobs in London

Participants guaranteed training and an interview for jobs at sites across London Leading construction training specialist The Skills Centre, has partnered with major building contractor O’Halloran & O’Brien to attract 1,000 people to new jobs on various construction projects around the Greater London area. A free, three-week, industry-led construction training programme will be offered when lockdown ends to all that apply, together with a guaranteed job interview for work on a number of major London building projects. All the project sites are still open and have strict Covid-safe protocols in place to ensure working on site is not just productive but also protects all workers. Jon Howlin, Chief Executive of The Skills Centre, said that in a year that has rocked the construction industry, as well as the economy as a whole, it is great to launch this scheme to help those who may have been made redundant or who are looking for work in construction: “It has been great to partner with the O’Halloran & O’Brien on this project, and we encourage those who have been dealt a bad hand in the past few months to consider this chance for a new career. “The pandemic has decimated many industries such as hospitality, aerospace and manufacturing, to name but a few. What we are offering here is an amazing chance for people of all ages and from all walks of life to get free, top-notch training with our experienced construction experts though our site-ready programme. Not only that, but candidates are also guaranteed a job interview at the end of it. Some of the jobs may even turn into full apprenticeships.” All those who complete and pass the three-week course will get a Green Labourers CSCS card, Level 1 Award in Health & Safety in a Construction Environment, and Construction health and safety certificates (including manual handling). Following the training, they will be guaranteed a job interview for one of the thousand jobs on offer – including shuttering-carpenters, steel-fixers, pipe-layers, ground-workers and strikers throughout the Greater London area. Martyn Price MBE, Workforce Development Director from O’Halloran & O’Brien Ltd and Chairman of the Cross-Industry Construction Apprenticeship Task Force, said: “The industry really needs investment in new people joining the sector and so we are incredibly excited to see this programme begin. Our commitment to training is the bedrock of our business and builds on our strong foundations to deliver a safe, competent and qualified workforce for the future, and we look forward to strengthening the construction workplace with well-trained new recruits through this fantastic joint initiative with The Skills Centre.” The initiative is supported by the Construction Skills Fund, which was established in October 2018 to train a site-ready workforce to meet the needs of the construction industry. The £20 million Construction Skills Fund (CSF) comprises £17 million from the Department for Education (DfE) and £3 million from Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). In its first year of operation the CSF helped create 26 new on-site training hubs across England, of which 14 of the hubs have been approved to continue operating to June 2021. CITB’s Strategy and Policy Director Steve Radley said: “The creation of 1,000 new construction jobs in London would be a fantastic achievement as the country continues to deal with the pandemic, and every one of those 1,000 jobs will mark a turning point in that new recruit’s life. Construction urgently needs skilled new workers to build the houses, hospitals and infrastructure Britain needs to rebuild its economy, so congratulations to The Skills Centre and O’Halloran & O’Brien in providing this brilliant initiative.” The training take place in six different centres across London and the South east, in Brixton, Barnet, Bermondsey, Earls Court, Elephant and Castle and Gravesend. Anyone interested in applying should go to https://theskillscentre.co.uk/welcome-to-a-new-start-in-construction

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London Construction Skills Centre Planned

It has been reported that a brand new skills college is in the planning stages for development in the London area. Set to be positioned in the widely reported Nine Elms area, the skills college is expected to offer a construction skills academy which can support the development of skills across the construction industry; something which has oft been reported as essential with the supply of construction jobs greatly outweighing the supply of those skilled individuals to fill those positions. In a bid to ensure those skills provided to up-and-coming industry professionals, Lambeth College has announced that employers are to play a key role in the creation of the curriculum and study schedules for the academy, allowing for those key stakeholders to ensure that the flow of workers to come from the scheme will be fit and able to support the continued success of the sector. In support of the endeavour, leading UK construction firm Carillion, has already expressed its backing of the academy, and will also support the success of it through promotion of it both within, and external to its own extensive supply chain. And with such backing, a high degree of interaction from employers is hoped for. Carillion’s Enterprise Manager, Chris James commented: “This exciting new partnership between Lambeth College and Carillion will establish a construction training academy as part of a pan-London solution and be key to addressing the skills shortage in London and the South East.” Over the course of the first five years of practice, it is hoped that the academy will see the creation of up to 1,400 jobs and 3,000 apprenticeships to be developed, providing a considerable funnel of skilled workers into the industry; skills which, by nature of the courses to be provided, will be instilled through real-work practices and training.

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