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The project will increase the awareness of mental health within the construction sector by training 288 Mental Health first Aid practitioners (instructors) who in turn will train two-day mental health First Aiders within the sector.

The project will establish a strong framework of instructors and mental health first aiders that will help tackle this increasing issue within the construction sector. In addition the programme will see attitudes to first aid improve and the stigma reduce and workers being able to discuss their mental health.

The project will deliver a real-world GB-wide infrastructure that will deliver immersive learning to the industry in a sustainable and scalable way. This will be completed through six focused delivery Hubs across three nations, located at:

1. Leeds College of Building
2. Construction Wales Innovation Centre
3. Construction Scotland Innovation Centre
4. Dudley College
5. Waltham Forest Construction Innovation Centre
6. Bridgewater & Taunton College

Through these Hubs, the project will deliver four Strands of interventions to 2,440 learners which will reduce error, accident rates and time/cost factors in delivering training. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) modules will be developed across the following work streams delivered in each Hub:

1. Working at height/scaffolding using VR
2. Building de-construction using BIM and VR
3. Wood/paint-spraying machines with AR
4. Surveying using drones in a VR space.

This will be supported by a 'train-the-trainer' programme to deliver immersive learning in the industry, as well as the development of a bespoke learner management system.

At the end of the project, the six hubs will act as centres of excellence where industry can walk in with a training need, be upskilled on how to use immersive technologies, develop immersive learning solutions and access immersive training through the hardware and content funded by CITB.

The project has three key threads, addressing directly the school, FE and HE sectors.

In partnership with Microsoft, the first thread targeting primary school teachers will use the Minecraft Virtual construction scenario to stimulate and encourage school-age children to consider careers in the built environment. Strong support from Microsoft will lead to UK-wide Minecraft ‘clubs’ creating a nationwide exposure to STEM and the construction industry in particular.

A second thread will establish two fixed site ‘hub’ facilities enabling practical reinforcement  and integration with students’ learning experience.

A third thread will implement a mobile facility to enable cost-effective engagement over a wider geographical area from each hub. Each mobile unit will provide typically three-day events based in FE/HE institutions.

The project will bring together a cross industry partnership to create and direct a unified National Workforce Development programme. It will establish and promote industry wide standards for all roofing disciplines through an "Accredited Roofer" programme that will act as a skills baseline for the sector and that will professionalise the industry.

The project will address the roofing industry training needs by bringing together the main roofing industry stakeholders, the 12 regional roof training groups and 11 major roofing trade associations to develop and roll out a basic competency programme.

The Basic Competency Programme represents manufacturers training derived from the minimum technical competencies and mapped to a Vocational Qualification and National Occupational Standards.

The project will develop a sector infrastructure that will define how we attract, train and retain a skilled and professional workforce sufficient to build over 1 million new homes in the next 5 years.

By engaging up to 100 homebuilders and targeting specific occupations, and with the support and leadership of the homebuilders. The project will create and develop an industry-responsive infrastructure which will communicate the benefits of smart recruitment, training and retaining to up to 3,500 homebuilders and homebuilding supply chain companies across the UK.

The project will develop a sustainable model for specialist infrastructure training provision, creating a structured framework that allows employees in the sector to develop the core skills that they require to operate in key roles in the sector where skills shortages currently exist. The end-state will be a self-sustaining training model that is developed by industry, for industry; providing targeted training that would not otherwise be readily available for companies in the sector.

The project delivers a 5 year strategic collaboration with the CITB as a trusted advisor on skills issues within the sector to significantly increase the level of training within the supply chain and help to promote and enable innovation.

A longer term relationship will allow the School Partners to plan more strategically, innovate, foster collaboration and offer an opportunity to work with our supply chains to both close the skills gap and address skills shortages.

After the project industry will have access to a free online learning platform where they can undertake skills diagnostics and access knowledge / training under the subjects of offsite, sustainability and BIM.

Contractors will be able, through membership, to access aggregated and anonymous data on the performance of their supply chain members that engage with the learning platform. Over 20,000 learning interventions will have been delivered to the construction workforce.