Initiative aims to help plug skills gap.
Complete Training Solutions, a health and safety specialist training organisation based in Liverpool, has been running a successful partnership with Job Centre Plus to help fill skills shortages in the demolition sector.
At the beginning of the year, Complete Training Solutions entered into a partnership with Jobcentre Plus to provide those struggling to find work with real qualifications and training, as well as an opportunity to find work afterwards, in the demolition industry. With a growing demolition need and a skills shortage, there is a need for safety training to help fill those skills shortages. Some of the qualifications that were gained through the programme include: CCDO Card, UKATA Certification and Emergency First Aid at Work.
The programme lasted 2 weeks, with a variety of courses being conducted depending on the needs of employers and the best fit for the individual. Participants were guided through safety courses necessary for work on a construction site, gaining skills such as manual handling and asbestos safety in order to meet health and safety standards.
In addition to technical skills, participants gained valuable employment skills from the programme. Knowledge about operating within the demolition sector was key, with the added bonus of timekeeping and teamwork skills. Overall, the programme aimed to create a well-rounded individual ready for entry into a demolition site position.
“It has been really rewarding for us, as a training provider, to see individuals being given the chance to up-skill themselves and then move on to meaningful, sustainable employment,” says Complete Training Solutions’ CEO Tom Powell. “We have operated in the training sector for the past 5 years and it is nice to be in a position to give something back to our local community.”
Since the beginning of the partnership in February, 58 participants have moved through the CCDO programme, with over 70% having since entered the workforce. Staff Hire UK has been instrumental with recruitment efforts throughout the duration of the program, helping to connect a number of participants with employers. According to market research giant Ibis World, the UK demolition sector has seen a 19.3% annual growth rate over the past 5 years, with an overall industry value of £1.4 billion. It’s the hope of both Jobcentre Plus and Complete Training Solutions that these numbers will reflect a steady frame of employment for participants of the programme.
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