£2.3 million to be spent on construction training hubs
CONSTRUCTION hubs which will train almost 1,500 people are to be established in the West Midlands after £2.3 million in new funding was awarded to the project.
The money will be split into two sections, with £1.28 million for hubs linked to housing projects, which will train 800 local people, and the remaining £1.04 million for infrastructure construction training for 650 people.
The first two hubs will begin operations by next spring at the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village site in north Birmingham and at the smart motorway project between junctions two and four of the M6.
More of the on-site training hubs are planned for other large construction projects in the region over the next few years.
The money was secured from the Government’s “Construction Skills Fund” by the West Midlands Combined Authority, in partnership with local authorities, employers and further education providers.
The combined authority said it hoped that up to 45 per cent of those accessing training at the hubs would be from groups currently under-represented in the construction industry, including women and ethnic minorities.
The Athletes’ Village is being built on the former Birmingham City University campus in Perry Barr and will be home to 6,500 athletes during the 2022 Commonwealth Games, after which it will be converted into 1,400 new homes, including social and affordable housing.
The smart motorway project involves upgrading 13.6 miles of the M6 between Coleshill and Coventry to create all-lane running which is due for completion in 2019/20.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “These regional hubs will be great for the West Midlands.
“Our record economic growth is due in part to the huge number of construction projects under way, or coming up, in the region. Construc- tion currently contributes £4.5 billion to our economy and we want to see that double over the next decade.
“To sustain this, we’ll need almost 50,000 more trained construction staff in the region by 2030.
“These regional hubs will help make sure local people get the chance to access top-quality training and on-site experience, with the ultimate aim of ensuring we meet the demand for trained construction workers from within the West Midlands.”
Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward added: “We’re creating huge opportunities in Birmingham and the wider region at the moment but it’s clear that we will only turn growth into inclusive growth if we equip people with the practical skills needed to secure those jobs and opportunities.
“These regional hubs will directly link local people to developments on their doorstep, giving them an opportunity to really benefit from projects that are transforming the West Midlands.”
The Construction Skills Fund scheme is funded by the Department of Education and will be delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board.