A new £100,000 training hub will give hundreds of people the chance to learn construction skills at the Perry Barr residential scheme in Birmingham
The training hub, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) through the Construction Skills Fund, will offer local people free construction job training and a guaranteed job interview after completing a 20-day course. It will be based on-site at the Perry Barr residential scheme, where £496m is being invested by Birmingham City Council, central Government and the WMCA on the regeneration of the area and to deliver long-lasting benefits for local people.
Some of the first students to attend the hub cut the ribbon at its official opening. They were joined by Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, Birmingham City Council leader and WMCA portfolio holder for transport councillor Ian Ward, along with international property group Lendlease.
Andy Street, said: “The Perry Barr Residential Scheme will be a game-changer, with a lasting housing and regeneration legacy. To maximise that legacy, it’s vital that local people have the opportunity to benefit from this kind of investment in the West Midlands.
“We know the construction industry in our region will need 50,000 more trained staff by 2030. This training hub will give local people the chance to get involved in this growing sector.
“They can learn new construction skills for free, get real-world experience on a construction site, and have an interview for a great job at the end of their course.
“This is the first of several on-site training hubs we will set up in the West Midlands, and we look forward to seeing hundreds of local people having the chance to directly benefit from new construction jobs being created in their area.”
The hub will train people in the construction skills needed on-site as building work progresses. The first trainees will learn about civil engineering, setting a site out and formwork – vital skills at the start of a development – and as the site progresses, training in the hub will be changed to match the needs on site.
The hubs will advertise local job opportunities, and will initially focus on training unemployed people.
Councillor Ward, commented: “It is pleasing that a major regeneration project being overseen by the city council is able to play a key role in nurturing and developing the next generation of talent within the construction industry.
“The Perry Barr scheme will act as a catalyst for further investment into Birmingham and we need to have the right skills within the local workforce if we are to be ready to deliver the next wave of projects that come to the city and wider region.”
Other training hubs are set to open in Wolverhampton and Coventry. Wolves at Work has secured a hub at WV Living’s The Marches housing development, on the site of the former Wednesfield High School, and the WMCA also plans to open a road construction hub on the M6 smart motorway, between junctions 2 and 4 near Coventry.
To sign up for construction training at the Perry Barr residential scheme hub, contact the National Careers Service West Midlands on 0121 296 5550, or you can find out more information about the National Careers Service via https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/ or by calling 0800 100 900.
