More than 300 local people started new jobs in construction in just 12 months thanks to a cross-borough employment drive.
Published on
July 5, 2016
More than 300 Wandsworth and Lambeth residents found work in the Nine Elms on the South Bank regeneration area last year thanks to a cross-borough local employment drive.
In the 12 months to April, 270 local residents started new jobs, 46 began apprenticeships and 16 more secured hands-on training roles as part of an NVQ or similar vocational college course.
The vast majority of these roles were secured through the Lambeth Working or Wandsworth Work Match recruitment teams. These council-run employment brokers work in partnership with the area’s developers and construction contractors to ensure local candidates are in pole position when new opportunities come up.
Employers taking part in the initiative include Battersea Power Station Development Company, Carillion, Skanska, Barratts, St James, Ballymore, Taylor Wimpey, St James, Mace and FLO.
Many more Wandsworth and Lambeth residents will have secured work on the regeneration programme through other channels.
Nine Elms on the South Bank is one of London’s largest regeneration sites. Heavy investment over the past eight years has meant that the newly revitalised quarter of central London is rapidly taking shape.
Over the course of the 15-year development programme, 4,000 new affordable homes are being built alongside new schools, shops, offices, health centres and two new Northern line Tube stations.
The new Nine Elms Park, Thames riverside walk, public squares, cycle paths and walkways will help tie the area together.
Thousands of construction jobs are being created during the phased regeneration process, while the construction of 6.5 million sq ft of new commercial space will provide a further 25,000 permanent jobs as retailers and other businesses begin to set up shop in their new premises.
Wandsworth Council Leader and Co-Chair of the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership Cllr Ravi Govindia said: “We want to ensure Wandsworth residents are first in line for the many new jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities here in Nine Elms and I want to thank our developer partners who are helping to make this happen.
“As our new business district takes shape there will be a further 25,000 new jobs on offer here across a whole range of business sectors. That’s an incredibly valuable legacy for north Battersea and the economic benefits are being felt right across Wandsworth.”
Fellow Co-Chair and Leader of Lambeth Council, Cllr Lib Peck said: “There are an enormous number of opportunities for people living locally to help shape their neighbourhood and it is vital that we keep finding work for them as a priority so that they can share the benefits of a rejuvenated area.
“I am delighted that 300 people have been given jobs, apprenticeships and training as a result of our partnership work.”
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About Nine Elms on the South Bank:
Nine Elms on the South Bank is emerging as a vibrant new central London quarter after eight years of major investment.
Hardwired into the vision for the area is the importance of developing a new cultural centre for the South Bank, with new parks, performance and leisure spaces woven into the designs.
The district is being shaped by world leading architects, developers and planners to create a truly mixed-use district with real city centre vitality.
The area’s key attractions will include a revived Battersea Power Station, the new US and Dutch embassies, a new centre for London’s foodies at New Covent Garden Market, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, the new Nine Elms Park and a new stretch of Thames Riverside Walk lined with cafes, bars, shops and galleries.
Two new Tube stations are being built, alongside new schools, around 4,000 affordable homes, health centres, high-speed data networks, a second River Bus pier and a new cycling and pedestrian network.
The regeneration programme is privately funded and does not benefit from taxpayer funding.
Find out more at www.nineelmslondon.com