The Skills Centre has officially opened its new Southwark construction training facility at the Surrey Quays shopping centre, where guests also celebrated the graduation of 16 successful trainees
The Skills Centre has been working in partnership with Southwark Council for 10 years, training local people in pre-employment and construction skills that are mapped to local employer vacancies.
It helps people take their first step into the construction industry, while also providing progression routes into specialist skills and management roles through NVQs and Short Courses.
Local businesses can also benefit from general health and safety training, such as first aid, fire marshal and manual handling.
Jon Howlin, CEO of The Skills Centre, stated: “We are so proud of the work we have done with Southwark Council in the borough, and we are delighted to be continuing the partnership with this new venture.
“The Skills Centre is dedicated to bringing construction opportunities to the community. CITB predicts that over 27,000 new construction employees will be needed in London by 2030, and our collaborative approach makes these jobs accessible by bringing employers, local authorities and local people together.”
The Skills Centre facility has created over £29m in social value
The Skills Centre and Southwark Council launched their first construction training programme together in 2016, including The Skills Centre’s flagship training space at Elephant Park.
That was closed to make way for development in 2021, and the training facility was moved to Canada Water. Now, the Skills Centre is on the move again, this time to its new base at Surrey Quays shopping centre.
Between 2017 and 2025, the partnership created £29.31m in social value and economic value through training, employment and local engagement projects, with an independent report finding that for every £1 invested, an estimated £22 of social and economic value was returned.
Future growth will provide construction training opportunities for the whole UK
Since then, The Skills Centre has launched training facilities on major projects across the UK, including Earls Court, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Birmingham, Coventry, Bicester, Essex and Kent. Future growth is planned on other major developments and infrastructure projects across the rest of the country, including Milton Keynes, East Anglia, further development in Southwark, Lower Thames Crossing and beyond.
Councillor Rachel Bentley, Southwark Council’s executive member for inclusive economy, equalities and democracy, officially opened the new facility. She said: “Since 2016, the Skills Centre has supported more than 7,000 residents to build careers in construction, and I’m delighted to welcome them to their new home at Surrey Quays.
“That success comes from giving local people the skills, qualifications and confidence to access good-quality jobs, so that the opportunities created by major developments in our borough are shared by our communities.”
