The first trainees under the innovative Construction Futures scheme have started on two building sites in Daventry. The groundbreaking scheme is the first in the UK to directly link construction training with the determination of planning applications. It enables local young people to directly benefit from new development, learning new skills and gaining vital work experience alongside a formal college course.
Construction Futures has been established by West Northamptonshire Development Corporation in partnership with Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited (NEL), Moulton College, and ConstructionSkills (formerly CITB). WNDC’s development control powers are at the heart of the process. It agrees the construction training requirements for planning proposals in its area of operation across the three growth towns of Northampton, Daventry and Towcester. The applicant or its contractor is then invited to select trainees from Moulton College’s first year construction trainees. The whole process is embedded in the s106 agreements tied to planning permissions.
Several trainees have started work with Northampton based contractor Winvic Build, which has been appointed to construct the iCon centre for sustainable construction in Daventry. Chloe Gardner, 18, from Northamptonshire is one of these trainees. She is studying for a foundation degree in construction management: “My dad already works in construction and I want to follow in his footsteps and show that females can be successful in this industry too. I’m getting a huge amount out of the training scheme. I’m part of a great team and have got to meet lots of talented people and get contacts which may prove useful in the future. I haven’t been here long but already I’ve been involved in tendering and design, and gained a lot of valuable experience.”
Further trainees are also working with Interserve on the Prospect Way factory redevelopment in Daventry. Joe Monaghan, 20, also from Northamptonshire, has been placed with Interserve while studying for a foundation degree in construction management: “The site experience has been really good. At college there’s only so much you can learn. On site you can actually put things into practice and learn how different equipment works. We’ve been involved in everything from the paperwork to on-site hands-on experience. It’s just been good to be on a real site and work around professionals.”
Construction Futures is emerging as a benchmark for other construction training schemes across the UK. The contractors helping to pioneer the project have discovered its benefits. Richard Parfitt, project manager at Interserve said: “The whole process has been even better than we expected. Obviously, you have to invest some time in the trainees at first, but it pays dividends as they make a genuine contribution to our activity. It has also been a valuable learning experience for some of our existing staff who have mentored the trainees and developed their people management and delegation skills. There are certainly mutual benefits.”
John Austin, director of Winvic Build, said: “This is a new concept for Winvic, as well as the students, and we are both learning from the experience. We are delighted, particularly in today’s economic climate, to be in a position to offer this valuable training opportunity, via the Construction Futures programme, to over 75 students during the construction of the Daventry iCon.. We see this as just the beginning of our relationship with the Construction Futures Programme and forging links with Moulton College.”
WNDC chief executive, Peter Mawson, said: “Construction Futures works on a number of levels. It enables local people to benefit from new development and receive on-site training alongside a college course. It will also help fill skills shortages in the construction industry, which has been notoriously bad at providing training opportunities for local people. We have high aspirations for this scheme and over time, believe it will have an impact nationwide.”
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