The Digital College has announced that they now have several multi-language construction courses available to cater to the modern construction industry
Courses, including Level 1 Award Health & Safety in a Construction Environment, the CSCS Green Card package, the Traffic Marshal course, and Manual Handling, are now available in multiple languages.
Polish, Ukrainian, and Romanian are some of the languages offered in the new courses.
According to ONS, in 2018, non-UK nationals accounted for 13% (109,000) of the construction of buildings sub-sector, 8% (80,000) of the specialised construction activities sub-sector and 7% (25,000) of the civil engineering sub-sector.
Of the 165,000 EU migrant workers in the UK construction industry, 78% are from former Warsaw Pact countries, including Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania.
The multi-language construction courses will help to make essential training more accessible
It is important that these workers can not only access, but understand essential training.
In particular, making Health and Safety qualifications understood is essential to the welfare of everyone on-site.
There were 59,000 non-fatal injuries in construction per year from 2019-2021
From 2019 to 2021, HSE reported that there were 59,000 non-fatal injuries in the construction industry each year.
Even more shockingly, there were an average of 36 fatal accidents.
The Digital College’s Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment is an accredited RQF certificate, and can now be studied independently or as part of the CSCS Green Card package, in Romanian, Ukrainian, and Polish.
As construction demand rises, more non-UK workers are employed to help the skills shortage
After a slump during the Covid-19 pandemic, the construction industries in the UK are picking up again. With this growth comes more non-UK workers.
Catering to workers who may not speak fluent English, is essential for keeping our workplaces compliant with regulation, welcoming, and safe.
Fostering this understanding makes working in construction a better experience for all involved.
The new courses will help to mitigate language barriers in the construction industry
The Digital College’s Director of Learning and Development, Marty Jones, commented: “The construction industries in the UK are changing. More and more workers are of non-UK nationality, with the majority being from Eastern Europe.
“Working to mitigate any language barriers which might arise is invaluable. Our new language options in courses such as the CSCS Green Card package are a fantastic addition to the world of construction.”
