Search results

LBBD is currently going through a huge period of large-scale regeneration across the whole borough. This includes the construction of Barking Riverside (largest housing regeneration project in Europe), The relocation of three food markets (Spittlefields, Smithfields and Billingsgate) to Dagenham Dock, the creation of East London’s first film studios to Dagenham East and the introduction of a new Free Port which will also grow SME business opportunities for our construction supply chains. LBBD forecast that 20,000 new jobs will be created from this regeneration alongside the redevelopment of other areas including Barking Town Centre, Beam Park and Marks Gate. Individuals will be assigned a dedicated construction specialist Job Broker who will conduct initial assessments to clarify barriers and challenges they face. Action plans are then created with the individuals which identify key aims and objectives and include specialist referral points.

"Hampshire County Council is the ‘go to’ organisation linking construction to the benefit of the community through strong links and professional connections with the construction industry. The ECO project will continue to maximise the established pathways and far-reaching opportunities afforded by the Council’s Employment and Skills Plans to identify job start and progression opportunities. These connect to a wider range of construction developments with ESPs, District & Borough owned, across the county that we are in direct, regular contact through quarterly meetings. Established relationships through The Construction Skills programme work with Willmott Dixon, Churchill Contractors, WBR Company, Morgan Sindall, Berkeley Group, Grainger PLC, Wates, Milestone, Taylor Wimpey, Kier, Jackson Rowe, Rydon, Vistry Partnerships, Barratt Homes, Highwood, Bewley, Vivid Homes, Bellway, Miller Homes, Carmichaels, Taylor Woodrow. They report, on average, 15 vacancies a month.

Our experience supporting people into work on the CSF and TCS projects together with feedback from employers shows us that retention in work can be achieved when we support individuals and we have immediate access internally and via our partners to a number of opportunities including: Hampshire County Council ACL workshops including ‘Mentally Prepared for Work’, ‘Developing Confidence and Self-esteem’ and ‘Confidence and Motivation’.

In addition, there would be individualised guidance from the ECO team, providing drop-in sessions with volunteers and sector specialists from our construction sector partners. "

"NFRC Roofing Careers Service supports roofing employer members and their current and future employees through the entire careers cycle. We are committed to promote roofing as a skilled, professional sector within the wider construction industry. The careers service is completely free to use (for members and non-members) and is a valuable and evolving resource for Young People, Employers, Parents and Career changers to come together in one place for careers information, guidance and signposting.
Once a new entrant has secured employment, challenges that cannot be immediately addressed can be managed through the ECO project, using the individual learning plan’s agreed support and actions, with tailored support provided by NFRC (including facilitating referrals to the employees’ barrier-specific support agencies including our free counselling services or free legal, tax and HR support service provided by ARAG) to support both the employee and their employer.
NFRC would brief the employer on buddy requirements (individual identified for this role as soon as possible – ideally during the recruitment of the employee). Once the buddy is identified, NFRC will brief the buddy and ensure that they are fully committed to delivering their responsibilities and are aware of their involvement requirements. "

"At the West Midlands Combined Authority employer engagement is managed through a golden thread from Local Authority and WMCA Section 106 social value agreements for new entrant employment. Regionally, WMCA and its partners are members of the SEEC Group for HS2/BBV main works and Lendlease Perry Barr and Smithfield programmes which will run for the period and beyond the ECO programme. WMCA providers also jointly run on site training hubs established with employers following WMCA holding CSF1 contracts, establishing sustainable on site hubs with Lendlease, Willmott Dixon and John Sisk.
WMCA intention is to maintain our Construction Gateway brand and then offer to specific resident progressors, employers and labour supply partners the ECO offer where it can be established there are risks to retention when individuals are engaged but ECO will also be offered to residents as a voluntary opt in offer to assist with their transition to sector employment, especially where they are recruited from a disadvantaged group eg. care leaver, female, ex-offender. Pipeline vacancy activity in the WMCA region includes over 250 construction projects in Birmingham as well as an equal amount across our other local authorities including our extension to midland metro civil engineering, our residential house building programme, part funded by Homes England and direct and indirect activity required for HS2 including 4 new railway stations and our SPRINT 2 programme following the Commonwealth Games.
WMCA work closely with their training providers preparing the individuals for the job opportunity and as part of this framework ALL training providers must also offer free e-learning in specific areas of identified weakness for new entrant sector retention eg. mental health training as well as 24-hour access line support from partner organisations. All employers supporting ECO will also need to commit to an in work coach to assist individuals when training organisations are not accessible on site. The ECO fund will enable WMCA to co-ordinate this work and retain individuals in the West Midland construction community. "

"This is a joint Island venture with the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney local authorities. As island groupings with more than 80% of micro employers, anticipated levels of high unemployment, an aging population and an aging workforce, support with recruitment, accreditation and training is commonly reported to be an increasing problem. The Island employers need to encourage people to live, earn and learn locally. Across the islands, the demand for construction skills aligned to a just transition to net zero and wider environmental/sustainability will be critical to reach the commitments set out in the Islands Growth Deal.  Key projects that will require increased access to construction skills from 2023-2033 include: Orkney Islands Centre for Net Zero, Orkney Research and Innovation Campus Phase 2, World Heritage Site Gateway Project, Scapa Flow Future Fuels Hub, Creative Islands Wellbeing, Transmission Cable and Community Wind Farm projects. Shetland Dales Voe Decommissioning, Saxa Vord Space Centre, Hydrogen and Offshore Wind Developments, Sandveien Redevelopment, Energy Isles Wind Farm, Staney Hill Housing, New Gilbert Bain Hospital, Fair Isle Ferry Western Isles Deep Water Port, Stornoway Primary, HHP Housing, Lochmaddy Uist Ferry Port, Barra and Vatersay Community Campus, Water supply Upgrade, Wind Farm expansion,,Spaceport – Uist
Along with the many capital works that have been identified, there are a large volume of repairs, maintenance, house building and smaller commercial builds. As the islands are experiencing an influx of tourism the islands infrastructure needs upgrading. Without new major investment into new people into the construction industry we are going to reach crisis point. Funding opportunities like this are pivotal to the future success of our economy and communities. A training officer will be assigned to work with the individuals and the employers and the project will aim to have identified buddies on each site who can work with the participants and be that person who shows them the ropes and gives them a better understanding of the roles within construction. Experienced Apprentices are often good models for shadowing new entrants as they are fresh enough to remember what it is like to be the new person and have enough experience to give them valuable advice and guidance. "

This commission will develop, identify, evaluate, and increase the number and quality of work tasters specific to the construction industry in Scotland. The Tasters will be embedded into Scottish Careers processes. The Tasters will promote construction as an aspirational career path to support individuals make good career choices. This will include more people from a greater diverse background including those without a connection to construction are inspired to pursue a career in this Industry.

A suite of guidance documents will be developed to give clarity to employers on how to deliver a good quality taster including taster plans for large and small construction sites and across key skill areas. As part of the project 32 regions will be covered in the development and roll-out of Tasters to comply with Scottish Government legislation to provide support to isolated communities such as Shetland.

Creating high quality on and off-site training courses for Bricklayers, through the launch of 16 ATO delivered short duration training courses, provided by the ABC Assessment Centre.

The training courses will be written directly by bricklaying employers to target bricklayers on a nationwide scale. The areas of skill covered by the training courses have been determined by employers because of their relevancy to Modern Methods of Construction and to address the lack of skills seen from bricklayers and trainees on their sites.

The project will deliver digital change in construction companies by upskilling leaders by developing three leadership training programmes that adopt an action learning approach. 
This method delivers change through achievable cycles of learn / test / do / review that allow leaders to undertake gradual stages of digital adoption, learn through the process but also taking practical steps to digitalise during the training. These programmes will increase adaptive capability and approaches to unlock and exploit digital opportunities within the sector.

Each training programme is proposed to be accredited with ILM at L3 (team level); L5 (departmental level); L7 (organisational level). The project aims to ensure training is eligible for grant funding as an exit strategy. 48 construction companies will each put two leaders through the programme. This will help to unlock digital change at strategic and operational levels of a business.

After the project participating employers will have taken measurable steps to digitalisation. The qualifications will be available for industry to access and benefit from. NFB will follow process to ensure they are eligible for grant funding.

The project will deliver skills and knowledge to enable business leaders across the supply chain to embed digital ledger technology (DLT / block chain) by demonstrating the business case for doing so, as well as practical digital concepts and methods. It will provide guidance on enhancements to existing processes and behaviours to enable this technology to be adopted.

The project will establish a network of champions and pathfinders across the supply chain to aid communication and engagement supporting the validation of digital ledger technology. It will develop training content that will upskill construction leaders across the supply chain in how to fully unlock this technology.

After the project, participating employers will have taken measurable steps to digitalisation. A white paper will report on the training outcomes and provide best practice guidance on how to embed DLT in the supply chain. The training materials use to achieve this will be made freely available to industry.

The project will address challenges of sufficiently simulating or recreating the tunnelling environment for workers, to develop the behaviours and competencies required to work in such environments. It will do this by developing a range of immersive modules and assets.

Modules and resources will give stakeholders a realistic, consistent and safe environment replicating tunnelling sites and machinery. They will be embedded across a broad range of qualifications and courses associated with tunnelling, delivered to over 1,200 beneficiaries and made freely available to the sector.

After the project, a range of immersive learning teaching resources will be available such as 360 degree film, digital models. Those in tunnelling roles will have received impactful VR learning experiences and resources will be adopted by the tunnelling sector to embed into existing training and qualifications.