Construction career college is being created in Lincolnshire.
The country’s first ever construction career college is being created in Lincolnshire. The college will be based at the Gainsborough campus of Lincoln College and will help students find a job in the construction industry.
The college will be ready to take its first students in September and will help tackle a nationwide shortage of builders needed to construct the 200,000 homes the Government says need to be built every year.
Students, can specialise in bricklaying, painting and decorating and carpentry and joinery, but will also be receive technical training.
Gary Headland, Lincoln College Group chief executive, said:
We are offering fast-track pathways into lucrative, secure careers that do not lumber our young people with debt. For many students in Lincolnshire, this career college and others like it are the right choice for them.
Steve Gelder, chief executive of Gelder Group, said:
What really excites me is that it is all kicking off in my home town of Gainsborough. It is not often that Gainsborough gets the opportunity to lead the UK at something, so it is a great opportunity for the town, its leaders and its residents to shine – which they will. The construction industry employs around 2.2 million people, which means it needs 44,000 new apprentices/trainees a year just to replace the ones who are retiring. Despite this, less than half that number are actually coming through at present, which is why this construction career college is so important. There is also a housing shortage and the Government wants to ramp up house building from 120,000 units to over 200,000 each year, so the demand for skilled workers is massively outstripping supply. As a result, tradesmen’s wages are rising at three times the national average, which is great for them, but not for the economy as a whole.
Samantha Mellows, Gainsborough Town Manager, said:
We are delighted to hear that Gainsborough will be the location for the new Construction Career College. Through discussions with our members, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce has highlighted the skills gap in the area and it is great to know that action is now being taken to remedy this by providing training for our young people. We are really pleased to see that our member Gelder Group along with others are key sponsors in this initiative, providing real life experience and knowledge for the students to take into the industry.
For full details see the Lincolnshire Echo’s article, or get in touch.