London Development Agency
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SPECIALIST TRAINING CENTRE TO HELP DELIVER MAJOR LONDON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games facilities among those to benefit from additional skills
A new centre for the National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) was launched yesterday at the National Construction College East London campus at Thames House in Newham to provide thousands of training opportunities. The new centre will help Londoners develop the right skills to continue to help deliver the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games and other large-scale projects taking place across the region, such as Stratford City and Crossrail.
The centre will offer 2,000 training places a year in much needed trades including plant maintenance, concreting, formworking, steel fixing, flooring and highways maintenance. It is funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the London Development Agency (LDA), ConstructionSkills and the five Host Boroughs (Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest) working with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The centre will be managed by, and training will be delivered through, the National Construction College (NCC), which is Europe’s largest construction training provider.
The NCC East London campus at Thames House is one of three planned construction training centres in east London. The second is the relocation of the Plant Training Centre from its current location on the Olympic Park site to a permanent site in the Royal Docks; and negotiations are underway for the third centre. Employer demand suggests the need for around 20,000 training places over the next five years, which will tap into an estimated £88bn* worth of major construction projects forecast between now and 2012.
The latest figures published by the Olympic Delivery Authority show that of the 4,101 strong workforce on the Olympic Park, nearly one in ten were previously unemployed and nearly one in ten is a trainee, apprentice or on a work placement. A fifth are resident in the local area and over half live in London.
Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for the Olympics, said:
"As the ‘big build’ on the Olympic Park progresses a whole variety of skills will be needed from steel fixing to electrical trades. With the workforce for the Olympic Park and Olympic Village expected to peak at 11,000 in 2010, Thames House is giving people the chance to capitalise on these job opportunities by giving them the skills to work on the Olympic site. This training will not only help drive up employment in the five Host Boroughs and beyond but will also open up the construction industry to new workers other than the ‘traditional’ builder."
Skills and Apprenticeships Minister, Lord Young, said:
"I would like to congratulate the Board of the National Skills Academy for Construction, Construction Skills and all the employers and local authorities who are supporting the academy. The new training site is good news for the construction industry and the people of London.
"It will help to provide the training needed for construction projects as part of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games, and give many more people the opportunity to gain the skills needed so they can take advantage of new job opportunities."
Harvey McGrath, Chairman of the LDA and Vice Chair of the London Skills and Employment Board, said:
"Skills training is fundamental to improving the future job prospects of Londoners. With projects such as the Olympics and Crossrail there are real employment opportunities available provided people are in a position to access them. Thames House is one of three planned training centres that will be up and running this year, and employer demand suggests that around 20,000 people will need to be trained by 2013. The centre will help us to provide an Olympic legacy now that will benefit London for decades to come."
Mary Conneely, National Regeneration Director for the Learning and Skills Council, said:
"National Skills Academies are a direct response to employers and their training needs. The centre will deliver relevant, high quality training programmes for employers in the construction sector, giving people in local areas the chance to gain the skills necessary to obtain work and contribute to the 2012 legacy and the wider regeneration of the area. The construction industry is a key component to the sustainability and growth of the economy in London both now and in the future."
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
"The 2012 Games are providing unrivalled opportunities to boost skills in the capital. Graduates from these courses will be key to delivering the London Games on time but, more than that, their skills will be essential for other crucial infrastructure projects like Crossrail - projects that will ensure London emerges from this downturn in great shape to compete in the new global economy."
Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of ConstructionSkills and its training division the National Construction College, explained:
"We are delighted to be launching this new training site. We have been working with our partners for some time to ensure that we found the very best location for local people. The National Construction College East London campus at Thames House will deliver quality training to meet the needs of the industry and the people working within it, complimenting our existing sites in the region."
ODA Chairman John Armitt said:
"The physical regeneration of east London is well underway and building the Olympic Park is already creating an employment and skills legacy. The ‘Big Build’ is right on track with the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village taking shape against the skyline and the foundations going in for the Velodrome and media centre. The Olympic Park is providing vital employment for over 4000 people, with a fifth resident in the local area and nearly one in ten is a trainee, apprentice or on a work placement. This new facility will add to existing training opportunities and the job brokerage services to help people living in London access work on the Olympic Park and boost the London 2012 employment and skills legacy."
Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, speaking on behalf of the five Host Boroughs, said:
"This is arguably the most exciting place to be at the moment in terms of the massive changes taking place throughout our areas. Thames House is a great asset because training and education is one of 2012’s most important legacies.
"Supporting people into work and business growth has to be a priority for us all. The 2012 Games and other developments will offer opportunities for residents now and in the future. We must equip people with the skills to find employment and provide industry standard learning that matches the needs of businesses and provides them with job-ready employees."
There are training places available now at the NCC East London campus at Thames House, to find out more, please call 0344 994 4433 or visit www.nationalconstructioncollege.co.uk.
*According to the latest research by Glenigans For media enquiries please contact: Kathryn Morgan on 020 7025 7545 or kathryn.morgan@trimediauk.com or Louise Ockenden on 07803 851574 or louise.ockenden@trimediauk.com Notes for editors About The London Development Agency The London Development Agency aims to improve the quality of life for all Londoners - working to create jobs, develop skills and promote economic growth. About The National Skills Academy for Construction The National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) was launched in 2006; a new partnership between ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for construction, employers, clients, colleges and funding providers to change the way industry trains its workers. It is unique because the model enables training at all levels to be delivered on a local basis, around major construction projects, rather than relying solely on the classroom or college workshop – an employer-led solution, delivering the skills and funding required by the contractors direct to their project. Project-based training is supported by specialist regional training hubs, to deliver skills that cannot be delivered on-site.
There are already 28 NSAfC projects collectively worth over £10bn up and running in England, with a goal to ensure 55 significant construction projects gain and benefit from NSAfC status by 2010. About The National Construction College The National Construction College is the training division of ConstructionSkills and is largest specialist construction training provider in Europe. It has seven sites in England and Scotland and provides training in management, sustainability, plant operations and mechanics, groundworks, crane operations, lightning conductor engineering, scaffolding and steeplejacking, general construction, civil engineering, roofing, ceiling fixing, partitioning, surveying and setting out and floor covering. The 2009 prospectus features over 170 pages of course information covering a full range of apprenticeships and adult courses offered at the National Construction College’s seven sites in the East, South, Midlands, Scotland, Central and London. Please call 0344 994 4433 or visit www.nationalconstructioncollege.co.uk for a copy.
About the Learning and Skills Council The LSC exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. We are responsible for ensuring the availability of high-quality education and training for everyone. We have a single goal: to improve the skills of England’s young people and adults to world class standards. Our vision is that young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce. We work nationally, regionally and locally to deliver this ambition on behalf of learners and employers. About ‘Jobs, Skills, Futures’ The ‘Jobs, Skills, Futures’ strategy to boost the Olympic Park jobs and skills legacy includes: * A jobs brokerage service, in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and the five Host Boroughs, that matches candidates living locally and elsewhere in the UK with Olympic Park job opportunities. Over 800 jobs have been advertised through the brokerage since May 2008. * A National Skills Academy for Construction, funded by ConstructionSkills, the Learning and Skills Council and the London Development Agency. This coordinates training across a range of providers, which now includes the Thames House Training Centre, for people to get the skills needed to win work on the Olympic Park and continue their career development once in work. * As part of this Academy a Plant Training Centre on the Olympic Park site providing local people with practical training tailored to the needs of contractors. 400 people have graduated from the Plant Training Centre since its launch in February 2008 and over half have gone onto get work on the Olympic Park site. * A Construction Skills Certification Scheme health and safety test centre opened on the Olympic Park in December 2008 to help applicants achieve the basic health and training to access a job on this and other sites. * A commitment to an additional 250 apprenticeships to be created on the Olympic Park and Olympic Villiage. * A target of 2,250 trainees, apprenticeships and work placements working on the Olympic Park and Village, including a programme aimed at specifically at placing women into construction jobs. There are currently 364 trainees, apprentices and people on work placement currently working on the Olympic Park. * Use of ODA procurement to create additional apprenticeships by the inclusion of a specific clause in future contracts. This clause sets a target of 3 per cent for apprentices in the future workforce of nearly procured projects. The latest figures show that of the 4101 strong Olympic Park workforce: * Approximately one in five (20%) are resident in the five Host Boroughs – Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest – and over half live in London (53%)
* Nearly one in ten (9%) was previously unemployed * Nearly one in ten (9%) are doing a traineeship, apprenticeship or work placement
