A £14 million programme to recruit 500 adults and train them in a construction trade has been launched in Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster. Construction JOBMatch South Yorkshire aims to tackle serious shortages of skilled labour in the local construction sector by employing and training people who are not traditionally considered for careers in construction.
Speaking at the launch, Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Housing and Planning said;
“Construction JOBMatch is an important opportunity for those who, in the past, did not have the chance to get the kinds of jobs that can change their lives. This means local people will do the jobs that need to be done, including repairing existing homes and building new ones. ”
Construction JOBMatch has been piloted in Sheffield for 12 months. Faced with the challenge of managing the largest Decent Homes programme in the UK and aware of the of labour supply problems, Sheffield City Council’s Employment Unit designed the programme. The aim is to broaden accessibility to jobs in construction among black and ethnic minorities, women, ex-offenders and the long term unemployed.
The 500 recruits, 250 in Sheffield and 150 each in Rotherham and Doncaster, will spend the two-year course in full employment with a construction contractor, gaining a CSCS card and working towards an NVQ Level 2 qualification.
Of the 100 people on the pilot, 12 have already gained their NVQ Level 2 but will complete the full two year employment to add to their experience. 82% of the trainees remain on the programme after one year. Of this 7% are women, compared to 1% average in construction nationally and 24% are from black and ethnic minorities, as opposed to an average of 5.4% nationally (source, C.I.T.B. 2000).
Allen Hickling, Managing Director of Keepmoat plc, one of the construction partners for Sheffield City Council, welcomed the news of the regional extension of the programme;
“Within the housing sector in South Yorkshire, there continues to be a skills shortage. Partnering opportunities such as Construction JOBMatch are to be welcomed for encouraging recruitment and training. With the support we provide to all of our trainees we have no fears about higher drop out rates or wasted training investment. Construction JOBmatch helps us to achieve our vision of bringing people together to build better communities. It’s good that this will now be available to a greater pool of people across South Yorkshire.”
As well as Keepmoat plc, construction partners who have committed to employing trainees in Sheffield are Connaught Property Services Ltd, Lovell Partnerships Ltd, Kier Sheffield LLP and Mears Group plc. In Rotherham, Henry Boot Construction, ROK, Connaught and Keepmoat have signed up to the programme. Doncaster City Council is still in discussion with prospective employers.
The programme is financed by a balance of private and public investment. Construction JOBMatch pays the trainees’ wages for the first year and the construction company pays them in year two. Employers anticipate retaining most of the Construction JOBMatch staff at the end of the two years.
Construction JOBMatch Director, John Hudson, believes there are national lessons to be learned from the programme:
“Construction JOBMatch South Yorkshire is a progressive example of recruitment which is helping to pug the gaps left by an ageing workforce and the migration of construction workers to other industries. Managers of construction projects across the country may want to look at our model, especially those working on projects which have the eyes of the international community on them.”
To find out more about the training scheme please contact the relevant Construction JOBMatch team on:
Sheffield: 0114 203 9136
Rotherham: 01709 709 525
Doncaster: 01302 862 650