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Success continues for Building Futures
Published: 01/02/2019
Flintshire County Council and its partner, Wates Residential North, are celebrating yet another successful “Building Futures” programme – the fourth one to be run in the county.
These intensive two-week training courses have seen local people move on to jobs in labouring, groundwork and window fitting or apprenticeships in various fields including bricklaying and electrical.
A further thirteen people were recruited through Flintshire’s Communities for Work and Communities for Work Plus programmes which work with people who face the greatest barriers to becoming employable.
The training programme, which took place at the Wates office in Mold, comprised construction skills trade sessions, including joinery and maintenance as well as CV and interview workshops with Wates Residential and its supply chain partners.
They completed their BTEC Level 1 in construction and carried out practical joinery and maintenance skills at Wates’ building site at Maes Gwern in Mold. All participants were successful in obtaining their Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card. CSCS cards provide proof that individuals working on construction sites have the required training and qualifications for the type of work they carry out, so this will give them a great start in their construction careers.
Flintshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Bernie Attridge, who presented the participants with their certificates, said:
“I’m delighted to be able to present these certificates to this group of trainees – the fourth successful cohort for Flintshire. We are working towards introducing more apprenticeships in the county, especially in construction. Well done to all of you for taking the first step and completing this programme. You all turned up every day and you have achieved some useful qualifications. There are lots of opportunities for you to build on what you have achieved so far.”
Paul Dodsworth, Managing Director of Wates Construction and Residential North, commented:
“Our long-term partnership with Flintshire Council puts us in a unique position to generate a stream of opportunities for training and employment for local people. To see our team deliver the fourth Building Futures programme in Flintshire demonstrates the strength of our commitment to ensure our work in the county positively impacts its residents and we look forward to continuing to build on this success.”
The delivery of Building Futures forms part of Wates Residential North’s role as lead developer for the Council’s Strategic Housing and Regeneration Programme (SHARP), which will see the creation of 500 news homes across Flintshire in the next five years.
Accredited by the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). Building Futures rewards candidates with a QCF Level 1 Award in Construction and a CSCS registration to help secure future training and work experience on building sites.