Onsite experience opportunities in construction - Wales

Welsh construction is projected to grow on average by 0.5 per cent by 2023, with a requirement for 6,550 workers.

The majority of students who start construction courses in further education do not progress into the sector. The main barrier for employment in the sector is not necessarily lack of jobs, but employers find that these students lack onsite experience and are not work-ready.

Government policy and construction output are focused on three areas of the country: South East, South West and North Wales. With the modest growth in the sector, there is an opportunity to establish a recruitment infrastructure for the whole nation which:

• creates a site and employment ready workforce to meet employers’ immediate needs
• ensures proposals lend themselves to the unique characteristics of each locality.

Any organisation best placed to deliver the outcome sought.

We especially welcome proposals from organisations that are:

• levy-registered employers who have construction projects and who are looking to employ locally.
• federations and/or trade associations who are able to galvanise local construction projects to create a collaborative response
• construction clients and/or leaders of construction projects who want to support their supply partners to access the talent need to deliver high quality work
• training providers and/or training consultancies with strong relationships with construction projects who can galvanise support for an onsite hub.

If you are interested in submitting an expression of interest for this commission, please sign up for the webinar where you can find out more.

We have up to £3.6m to cover projects over three areas in Wales. CITB will fund up to 70 per cent of the total value of the project.

We aim to fund at least three onsite mobile hubs aligned to the current aims of:

• The Cardiff City Deal
• The Swansea city deal
• The North Wales Economic Ambition Board

Your project may address the challenges facing one or more of these areas, as outlined in ‘The challenge facing industry section’ above.

Projects can last up to three years.

Three mobile training hubs will be established across Wales, benefitting 3,000 individuals in the first three years.

The expected results are:

• three onsite hubs supporting 3,000 individuals
• when the onsite hubs have completed their interventions, at least 50% of those supported will be considered employment and site ready
• at least 50% of those supported will be full-time construction diploma students
• at least 450 individuals will be in sustained employment, of which at least 135 are from under-represented groups
• increased collaboration and potential for sustained local action as a result of this investment
• employer and stakeholder consortia to create a critical mass of opportunities, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness and justification for an onsite training hub.

22 July 2019 - expression of interest window opens

27 September 2019 - expression of interest closes at 5pm

11 October 2019 - deadline to submit applications at 5pm

You must submit an expression of interest first – if you get through this stage, you will be invited to submit a full application.

Your proposal should:

• Focus on one or a combination of the following areas: South East, South West and North Wales.

• Describe how you will provide an onsite mobile training hub to enable people wishing to enter the construction industry to become employment and site ready.
  You should show how you intend to enable onsite experiences to respond directly to employer feedback and research findings. Remember that in many cases you may need to provide upskilling to enable individuals to better meet employer requirements.

• Identify how you will work with construction employers to enable people to enter sustained employment. The fund will facilitate onsite placements and training, using mobile and static onsite training hubs and fixed infrastructure. These interventions will lead to individuals gaining employment in the sector, in the immediate or longer term.

• Outline how you will complement existing training and employment provision. If your proposal can reflect where construction activity is occurring, it is like to have better take up with individuals considering a career in construction, in addition it offers the opportunity to gain employment through project delivery.

• Describe the approach you will take to create and nurture a collaborative approach with construction employers and stakeholders. You will need to ensure:
  • consortiums between employers and stakeholders can be maintained
  • mobile training hubs can deliver outcomes
  • construction output is maintained at the estimated level
  • employers will recruit from this source.

Find out about more on the momentum behind this commission from the experience of the Construction Skills Fund

Pre-application webinars

We recorded a webinar to introduce this commission earlier in July. It includes an overview of the commission and some further details about how to apply.

View this webinar on YouTube

We have more live webinars for you to find out about this commission. Use the links below to register and take part:

Date: Tuesday 23 July 2019
Time: 11:30 – 12:30

Register attendance with eventbrite

Attend the webinar with eventbrite

Date: Wednesday 31 July 2019
Time: 13:30 – 14:30

Register attendance with eventbrite

Attend the webinar with eventbrite

The webinars will be recorded and shared afterwards if you are unable to attend one of the above slots.

Application workshops

We will also host workshops across the country. These workshops will give you an opportunity to find out more about the application process and how we assess proposals for funding.
Application workshops will be held Cardiff, Swansea and *North Wales*. Details will be sent to you as part of the acknowledgement of your expression of interest.