Business  News

‘Construction Gateway’ to tackle skills shortage coming to Nine Elms

Wandsworth Council, in partnership with Battersea Power Station, has welcomed the news that it has been successful in its bid for funding to deliver construction skills training at the iconic London landmark.

Nine Elms Construction Gateway

Published on
November 19, 2018

Share

Last week, the Government announced £22m worth of funding for 26 national construction project hubs, aimed at training thousands of workers and helping to tackle skills shortages in the construction industry around the country.

The Wandsworth Council bid, on behalf of BPS contractors Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine, together with Taylor Wimpey Central London (Wandsworth Council’s development partner for the Winstanley York Road regeneration), will receive part of this funding to deliver a ‘Construction Gateway’ that will be established on-site at the existing Battersea Power Station Training Centre.

The funding will be used to help people learn new construction skills as well as targeting women, under-represented groups, career changers from other industries and people with no previous construction experience. The scheme is funded by the Department for Education and is being delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board.

Councillor Rory O’Broin, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Skills and Employment said:

“I am delighted that we have been successful in our bid. This investment in skilling our workforce provides an exciting opportunity to help people change career and get work-ready residents and jobseekers into employment in Wandsworth.
“The growth of Nine Elms shows that Wandsworth is open for business – and a key part of that is supporting local people to develop new skills for work, including a wide range of construction jobs. Together with Battersea Power Station and construction partners, we’re looking forward to getting hundreds of new candidates through our construction gateway.”

Sarah Banham, Director of Communities and Sustainability at Battersea Power Station Development Company said:

“The regeneration of Battersea Power Station will create over 17,000 employment opportunities over the next 10 years making this a “destination for jobs”. We are committed to employ as many people from the local community as possible so we are delighted that Wandsworth Council has won funding to create a new construction skills centre on site at Battersea Power Station. Together with our existing Battersea Academy for Skills Excellence (BASE), which seeks to match local people with jobs and training across the site, we look forward to upskilling many more workers from across the borough, equipping them with the knowledge and expertise they need to flourish in this exciting sector.”

The news of the construction gateway is a welcome addition to the Nine Elms area as it continues to grow and regenerate, creating a need for work-ready residents in the area.


Related Stories