A trio of unemployed Wolverhampton residents are celebrating landing jobs in the construction industry after successfully completing a fast-track training programme.
The Fast Track into Construction course gave trainees the opportunity to gain work-related qualifications, try out different trades, and gain practical work experience on a construction site.
The programme was organised by City of Wolverhampton Council, in partnership with City of Wolverhampton College, Wolverhampton Homes’ Employability Team, the Department for Work and Pensions, and Jobchange.
Leading construction company, Kier, provided work placements on three of their sites as part of the programme and guaranteed job interviews to all the course participants, with three – Mitchell Evans of Eastfield, Callum Balchin of Wednesfield and Manjit Singh of Ettingshall – going on to secure jobs with sub-contractors, T Costello and Choice Plumping.
The trainees completed and gained a number of qualifications including Level 1 in Multi Skills, Level 1 Health & Safety in the Construction Environment, Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS card), asbestos awareness and manual handling.
These qualifications demonstrated to potential employers they have the necessary skills and ability to work on a construction site safely.
Councillor John Reynolds, City of Wolverhampton Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “The Fast Track into Construction programme is an excellent model for delivering qualifications and work experience to prepare unemployed residents for a career in this growth sector of the economy.
“We are delighted Kier were able to offer work placements and guaranteed job interviews to the trainees. A number of them have now secured employment.”
Abdul Mozzamdar, Kier Early Careers Manager, added: “We supported this initiative as we felt that it would be beneficial to us and our sub-contractor partners to widen our talent pool when looking for skilled workers on site.
“As a result of the initiative, three trainees have now successfully secured employment with our sub-contractor partners, and this is something we will consider supporting again in the future as it has been beneficial for all involved.”
For anybody unemployed and interested in pursuing a career in construction the next Fast Track into Construction Programme is being run in partnership with Speller Metcalfe – another leading national construction company.
As part of the training they are providing work placements on the Future Space project at the council’s Civic Centre.
Des O’Neil, Speller Metcalfe Managing Director, said: “The Fast Track into Construction Programme is a fantastic incentive to engage unemployed people with an industry that offers vast opportunities across a range of sectors.
By providing access to the knowledge and skills of our site team at the Civic Centre Future Space project, we hope to whet the appetite and provide an insight for anybody interested in construction as a future career.”
A recruitment event for the next programme will take place on Friday, January 27, at 10am, at City of Wolverhampton College, Wellington Road, Bilston, WV14 6BT.
To book a place or for further information please contact either Manjit Cheema on 07717 733051 or Simon Hamilton on 07919 626210, or email [email protected] or [email protected].
Image caption (L-R): Recruits Mitchell Evans and Callum Balchin, Cllr John Reynolds, City of Wolverhampton College Deputy Director, Employer Engagement and Commercial Activity Andrew Cartwright, recruit Manjit Singh, and Kier’s Abdul Mozzamdar, at Kier’s Bilston Urban Village site