Partners in Bristol, a subsidiary of 草榴社区, provides crucial solution-focused training, delivering skills that companies need whilst championing the ideology that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and grow within their chosen career. They provide high-quality, professionally-designed curricula to ensure progression, and now they hold the accolade of being the only training provider in the South West to deliver certain courses on real-world construction sites, putting students at the epicentre of the industry.
These pioneering short courses including other areas such as plumbing, carpentry, electrical and bricklaying operate at the One Lockleaze Skills Academy, in the North of the city.
According to the latest data from Construction Skills Network, an extra 225,000 construction workers may be needed by 2027 to meet UK demand.聽
Last week, BBC Radio journalist, Steve Yabsley got stuck in with Health & Safety Construction learners at the One Lockleaze Skills Academy to discover just what it takes to start a career in construction.聽
Learners hail from all walks of life with many re-training having traditionally been a part of an entirely different industry.
One learner, Jodie, has a much more creative background, with this only being her second week stepping foot on to a construction site. She commented: 鈥淚 have experience with working with a few tools before, I鈥檝e done some scenic painting work, used a drill but only once or twice kind of thing.
鈥淚鈥檝e just taken my Level 1 rope technician training, so I鈥檓 now a qualified rope technician and in order for me to get the job that I want I need a CSCS and then what comes from that is to gain more tickets and more qualifications so that I can specialise.鈥� 聽
Talking of her next steps, she added: 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 going to head to London for a couple of months because I know there鈥檚 lots of work there, lots of skyscrapers to work on, clean some windows, fixing, painting, mending and then come back to Bristol. There is a lot of work on the railways here but in order for you to work on the railways, you have to get your chainsaw licence as a lot of that type of work is around de-vegetation and you need your PTS licence.鈥� 聽
Another student also spoke of his future goals, saying: 鈥淚鈥檓 planning on getting back to working on site, I enjoy it, it鈥檚 really good, really good money and also I want to progress. I used to be a labourer and then a handy man, so now I want to progress my way through to management, it鈥檚 a great opportunity.鈥澛�
Speaking of the work that Partners in Bristol do, Rob Hazleton, Managing Director of Partners in Bristol said: 鈥淭his is a partnership with Vistry Group and it鈥檚 about bringing construction and education on to live construction sites. We work closely with job centres, supporting people currently on universal credit to gain those basic skills and get them into work.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working to support them for their next steps into vocational trades, whether that鈥檚 short courses or whether that鈥檚 in to slightly longer programmes such as an apprenticeship.
鈥淧artners in Bristol is all about making that difference for individuals and it鈥檚 really heart-warming, we see it in all of the courses, not just construction, those individuals that have been able to do a short, sharp course with us and progress into sustainable employment and just the difference and opportunities in life that it gives them.鈥�
Talking of learners鈥� progression, David Dibble, Senior Project Manager for Partners in Bristol added: 鈥淪ome students go on to also do our forklift qualification or our storage and warehousing qualification which gets them their forklift licence. Some of them want to go into door security. So they combine a bit of the site work with the door security, so they鈥檒l go and do our three week SIA course as well.
鈥淲e also have Hays recruitment come in to talk to them and they鈥檒l run through the opportunities that they鈥檝e got to get them into work, they鈥檒l talk about salaries and the jobs they could potentially get.鈥�
Partners in Bristol learners, both current and historical, are proving to be real success stories, with the vast majority having progressed to sustainable employment. The main objective for Partners in Bristol is to help unemployed people, often those on Universal Credit, to get a foot in the door of their chosen industry, gain qualifications they need and secure a lucrative position as they take the next steps forward for their life.
To discover more about Partners in Bristol and the short courses that they offer, .
