The National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) has announced a new partnership with Pave Aways, its first Employer Client.

The partnership was announced on 7 July 2026, at The Grove School in Market Drayton, Shropshire. Pave Aways Welfare and Training Manager Sabrina Davies received the certificate from CITB’s Trevor Oakley.

The presentation ceremony was attended by Pave Aways Managing Director Steven Owen, Grove School Site Manager Simon Gough and Multi-Skilled Property Maintenance Apprentice Harrison Roberts.

What is the NSAfC?

Developed in partnership with the construction industry, the NSAfC uses a dynamic Project-Based Approach (PBA) to help organisations create employment, training and community engagement opportunities through construction projects.

It aims to improve project outcomes and create workplaces where talent can thrive, both today and in the future.

About Pave Aways

Pave Aways is an award-winning building contractor and member of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The business has a long history of investing in the wellbeing and professional development of employees. Pave Aways was founded in 1973 and has grown from its civil engineering roots into a leading construction and building maintenance company.

Managing Director at Pave Aways, Steven Owen, said:

"Becoming the first contractor in Shropshire to join the National Skills Academy builds on the opportunities we have been creating through our projects for decades. Working alongside CITB reinforces our commitment to delivering the highest standards expected by our local authority partners while strengthening the work we have been recognised for through our King's Award for Enterprise in Promoting Opportunity."

The benefits of collaborating with NSAfC

By adopting the NSAfC’s Project-Based Approach, organisations like Pave Aways can build a skilled workforce for the future while creating meaningful opportunities for local communities. The framework encourages clients and their supply chains to look beyond legal requirements and consider how their projects can deliver lasting social value.

Improving social outcomes is more important than ever when securing planning permission, funding and new contracts. The PBA helps clients and developers identify, deliver and demonstrate social benefits.

For contractors and subcontractors, it provides a clear roadmap for creating employment, training and community engagement opportunities. This helps these businesses meet growing expectations around the social value of construction projects.

Carla Prickett, Strategic Engagement Manager at CITB, said:

“We are delighted to announce this partnership with Pave Aways which underlines their commitment to embedding the NSAfC Framework across all projects. We developed the framework together with the construction industry to improve productivity, promote skills, and create high-performing workplaces that can develop and harness talent.

“For contractors or public sector authorities, the NSAfC gets the right skills to their people – from craft to technical to professional, from new recruits to experienced workers – wherever they are needed.”

Jamie Evans, Construction Director at Pave Aways, said:

"Innovation is an important part of how we deliver our projects, and the National Skills Academy for Construction gives us a new way to identify social value opportunities from the earliest stages of our schemes. Whether that's through site tours for local students, work experience, apprenticeships or other community initiatives, it gives our clients clear evidence of the lasting impact their investment is creating."

Charlotte Davies, Finance Director, added:

"More than a third of our workforce started as apprentices, which shows the long-term value of investing in local talent. With six new apprentices joining us later this year, the framework gives us a consistent way to maximise and evidence the value of our apprenticeship programme.”

Commercial Director, Victoria Lawson, said:

"We've already seen the difference collaborative working can make through our partnership with the Shropshire Community Foundation, showing how targeted employability initiatives can create real opportunities for young people around our projects. This framework provides a consistent way of bringing our clients and supply chain partners together around shared social value ambitions, making it easier to deliver locally focused outcomes on every project."

The partnership highlights the shared commitment of CITB, the NSAfC and Pave Aways to developing the next generation of construction talent while creating lasting benefits for local communities through construction projects.

Find out more about NSAfC.