Mayor's Construction Academy good news stories

An aspiring rail engineer has told how his apprenticeship has helped him manage his dyspraxia.

He is undertaking an apprenticeship with engineering giant Bombardier at the London Rail Academy based at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL).

The 19-year-old was diagnosed with dyspraxia, a neurological condition that affects physical co-ordination and social skills, when he was at secondary school.

He said, “My training has actually helped me to overcome and manage it”, when asked about how dyspraxia had impacted on his apprenticeship.

“When I first started my apprenticeship, I would take longer than others to do things and perform certain tasks. I had trouble keeping up and would often fall behind. At CONEL and at Bombardier I have always felt supported and my timekeeping and organisation has improved significantly.”

His enthusiasm for trains and railways goes back to when he was a young boy, and in his early teens he began volunteering on the East Kent Railway Trust heritage railway.

He said: “I have always I wanted to pursue a career in rail. Railways are very complex and it has always fascinated me at how it all works together. My voluntary work on the East Kent Railway also inspired me. I got to see first-hand what it takes to keep trains running.”

He completed a Rail Engineering Level 2 Apprenticeship with Bombardier and now works for the company as Maintenance Assistant while undertaking a Level 3 apprenticeship.

He was named the National Training Academy for Rail’s Apprentice of the Year in 2018 and has been an ambassador for Young Rail Professionals for the past three and a half years.

The apprentice said: “I have learnt so much at Bombardier – how trains, depots and railways operate, how to perform safety work, plan maintenance, carry out inspections, find faults and exchange components.

“CONEL has all the tools, equipment and materials you need. They have parts and components from real trains like bogies and engines to take apart and reassemble, and the tutors are always there if any help is needed”.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not derailed his appetite for learning and a career in rail engineering.

He said, “Learning in lockdown has been challenging. I would much rather be in college, but learning through classes on Microsoft Teams has been good and not too different”.

He is a huge advocate for apprenticeships as a way into work and the benefit of being employed by a company and earning money while gaining skills.

“Rail is a great industry to work in. Trains will always need to be maintained and kept running so the industry will always need new talent,” he said.

“Even if you have no previous engineering experience, you can learn the required skills on an apprenticeship. Unlike university you are being paid to learn, not paying to learn.

“I applied for my apprenticeship as soon as I left school and it was the best decision I ever made.”

TfL are on a journey to build 10,000 new homes across the capital.  In the coming years through their construction partners, there will be many new opportunities to work in the construction industry.  To help inform Londoners about the wide range of training opportunities and exciting construction careers available, the TfL hub are working with partners including:

• Chelsea Foundation to deliver more than 100 CSCS cards, to allow those new to the sector to work on site
• London Legacy Development Corporation to deliver a purpose build construction training centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• Barratt London to support local residents to take up work and training opportunities on Blackhorse Road, and diversify the talent pipeline
• The Skills Centre to deliver more diverse training and support local residents into good sustainable work in the construction sector
• Keltbray to focus on Employer led provision and provider a focus on mental health training.

For more information on the partnership working, view the powerpoint presentation.

Visit TfL's opportunities page for more information. 

MCA Quality Mark Provider, Simian Risk, part funded by the MCA via the Skills for Londoner’s Capital Fund Round 2, are proud to announce the UK’s first female Advanced Scaffolder, Vicky Welch, who successfully completed her CISRS Advanced Scaffolding course. Vicky is heading a growing line of female Scaffolders in what has been a long male-dominated industry.

Neil Bewick, Centre Manager at Simian’s London site said:

"It’s superb to see that the barriers to diversity in the scaffolding industry are being broken down. It’s long been the case that a career in scaffolding was seen as something that is just for men…we are working hard to encourage a very diverse range of entry into what is a very rewarding career, and to break down those tired old stereotypes."

Read the full story.

Transport for London (TfL) and Kuropatwa, an SME developer/builder, have been working together as part of the TfL hub to enable local opportunities in Barnet on the Beachwood Mews project.

The site is part of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and TfL small sites programme, where development sites up to 100 homes were identified across TfL’s estate to ring-fence for SME businesses. Kuropatwa have been a very active MCA partner, supporting events, work placements and apprenticeship opportunities as part of the hub, and even continued to financially support an apprentice not directly employed by them when work came to a stop on the site.

Kuropatwa had not previously been involved with many employment and skills initiatives and being a small family-run business did not have the internal resource to engage in these activities; however, they have jumped in with full support and are now exploring more they can do internally and on future projects.

Read more on the successful partnership.

Barking and Dagenham College 

Lecturers from Barking and Dagenham College have been finding engaging ways to teach their classes remotely. Matthew Smith, plumbing lecturer, is using his own home as a plumbing workshop, filming himself completing tasks around the property. Learn how to do a 30 degree offset shallow angle with Matt. Andy Duffy, Head of Digital Learning, said: “The lecturers have truly embraced using technology to ensure that students continue learning. We’ve seen massively creative ways of teaching students from their own houses, particularly with some of the trades and other vocational, hands-on subjects”.  

Barnet and Southgate College

Students and teachers have risen to the challenge of online teaching and learning by engaging via the use of Microsoft Teams. Students have used creativity and critical thinking to enable peers with connection and device issues to access online lessons through alternative devices like their mobile phones. The college further supported this by arranging for loan laptops to ensure that every Built Environment and Engineering student is equipped with the tools required at this time to achieve success. 

Parents have been pleased with the college’s response to remote delivery and have reported that lessons are well structured, with their young adults engaged in continuing learning in preparation for their progression in September 2020 to Higher Education, employment or further studies with the college. 

Staff responsible for Construction, Plumbing, Gas, Engineering & Electrical have worked hard to ensure students continue to learn remotely and achieve during this period of uncertainty. The timetable transitioned over to remote delivery via the use of Microsoft Teams. This is partly due to the college investing heavily in "Technology Enhanced Learning", providing staff with 3 hours CDP a week to focus on remote delivery over the past 2 years, which has enabled a smooth transition during the crisis.

College of North East London (CONEL) 

CONEL has been awarded the NOCN Group award for mental health and wellbeing for 2019- 2020 for their continued work on student welfare. The rise in ill health amongst learners and the greater public is of great concern and is attracting heightened attention nationally. This award celebrates the important work colleges are doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of their learners and staff.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), London Campus 

GCU London’s adaptive and flexible models of delivery have proven their worth in the current global crisis.  Being able to quickly move to full online delivery, GCU were finding that many in the construction industry want to discuss how they can undertake their degree apprenticeship, BSc Hons Construction and the Built Environment (Quantity Surveying), particularly whilst other aspects of their work may have changed. It’s been very important to emphasise to potential learners and employers that online doesn’t mean being alone in the learning experience.    

GCU London’s online learning environment and teaching expertise has enables them to adapt to the needs of industry, meaning that GUC are well placed to offer business as usual to anyone – whether balancing a busy role with family life, or on furlough and interested in their own continuing development with support from their employer. 

Havering College

Havering Colleges have been delivering Built Environment sessions online. Alan Burgess, Programme Manager for FE Construction, has also produced some structural video content from home on how to undertake basic flooring, roofing and how to remove and replace a tap. Construction students have all been offered laptops by the college to support learning for those who do not have digital access, resulting in attendance remaining good during the lockdown. Students have been able to engage and support one another while learning and socialising online. 

London South East Colleges (LSEC)

London South East Colleges, a ‘Mayors Construction Academy Hub’ lead in South East London, has received national recognition for its response to the Coronavirus pandemic by being named as one of the faces of the UK Government’s 'GREAT Inspirations' campaign launched in July, and making them the only further education college nationally to be included.

As businesses across the UK reopen and adjust to operating under social distancing guidance, the 'GREAT Inspirations' campaign celebrates those who have gone above and beyond for their communities by innovatively adapting to a new way of working.

The College is one of the ‘local heroes’ chosen for the work it did to launch FE Foodbank Friday - a virtual giving programme to raise money for local foodbanks. Over 30 colleges nationwide signed up and over £42,000 has been raised collectively so far. This is being donated by the individual colleges to foodbank programmes around the country.

The “GREAT Inspirations” has been delivered by the GREAT Britain campaign, the UK Government’s international marketing campaign, showcasing the best of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, encouraging the world to visit, study and do business with the UK.

M.I.T. Skills

The team are working hard to support their apprentices during this time. They have worked with employer partners to agree increasing teaching days, allowing the off-job time to be banked for the future. The aim is to assist employers when the lockdown ends, continuing employer-led delivery via telephone discussions with apprentices and employers, interactive video conferences and workshops.   

The team are proud to confirm that these efforts have maintained a 90 per cent engagement rate for March, with a target rate of 95 per cent for April. Employers have been key to this success through mutual understanding during these exceptional times. This extra time spent on learning now will mean learners will not need to attend college for the first three months after lockdown, thus better supporting the construction industry to utilise vocational trades by operating at maximum capacity when recovery begins. 

New City College (NCC)

Alongside a swift transition to online teaching, learning and support for around 20,000 students and apprentices, NCC staff have been working with local organisations to support the community and frontline services. The college has donated significant stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) from its science, health and social care and construction departments, with college staff making personal deliveries to their local hospitals. NCC has campuses across East London and South Essex so has been able to help and deliver kit across the area.

Additionally, staff from the construction department were instrumental in getting the college’s  3D printers to work on facemasks to be distributed to local hospitals, St John Ambulance and London’s Community First Responders, as well as distributing supplies to care homes. Working with a former student, the college has also been producing and distributing 3D printed door pullers, a simple device that is being used in care homes and hospitals by staff to reduce the contact by hand with door handles.

Newham College 

With the coronavirus outbreak forcing Newham College to cancel forthcoming on-campus Open Days, the college staged its first ever Virtual Open Day on Wednesday, 29 April, an event that proved to be immensely successful despite the novelty of the untested format with participation exceeding expectations. The website saw some of the highest traffic levels of the year with above-average online course application completions.

There was sustained interest from the online Q&A sessions in areas such as Construction and the Built Environment, Fashion and Tailoring and Access to Higher Education and prospective students were able to explore more about the course offering through taster sessions on Instagram Live.

Such was the success of the inaugural Virtual Open Day, that another event has been scheduled for 19 May, with a view to opening up additional avenues for prospective students to interact more with the college.

North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT)

Construction students have been participating in the Pathway Careers, Training and Mentoring (Pathways CTM) project to develop their employability skills. The project was established to give the young people access to talks from employers, site visits, and support with CV writing and interview techniques. This support continues through the lockdown period. Weekly webinars are being held, through which students can engage with employers such as Berkeley Homes and organisations such as the Home Builders Federation (HBF) to receive advice on construction career opportunities in London.

This contact with employers and access to the support network is providing important reassurance to construction students that their skills will remain in demand through the economic recovery.

Simian Risk 

In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of training at their centres, shifting to a predominantly remote working space, and understanding what can be achieved and the resources required were the vital first steps. Communication with customers and learners was of paramount importance to respond and deliver within the set Government guidance, providing learning and support at all levels. The team have set up remote teams, deliver on-line tutorials to our learners, hold virtual meetings, develop training and advice materials, and above all, protect their employees. Through this time, the team are increasing their knowledge and proving that resilience is going to be the key ingredient moving forward. 

Headlines

• The SCSC is a funded partnership between The Skills Centre, Lendlease and Southwark Council.
• The SCSC selected as 1 of 19 projects across the world to take part in the C40 Climate Positive Programme.
• Lendlease have committed to the Elephant Park project being net carbon negative by 2025.

Case study

JCB is helping a leading London construction skills provider, the Southwark Construction Skills Centre (SCSC), to deliver a world-first: zero emissions training on electric diggers.

Charles Stevenson, General Manager of JCB`s London office, said: “JCB is leading the way in clean technology and reducing harmful emissions, especially in urban, air quality sensitive environments such as utility works. We are delighted to be able to support the SCSC in offering the world`s first training course using zero emissions plant at a facility recognised for its excellence by the Mayor’s Construction Academy".

John White, Operations Director of SCSC said: “The JCB 19C-1E is an innovative product delivering environmental improvements and it will be invaluable in training local people on the technology of the future. Developers Lendlease have committed to the Elephant Park project being net carbon negative by 2025 and the Skills Centre has an important role to promote sustainability across the site and to the local community.”

Elephant Park has been selected as one of only 19 projects across the world to take part in the C40 Climate Positive Programme, which supports the creation and implementation of large-scale urban communities that reduce greenhouse gasses.

With the drive towards lower emissions, the zero-emission JCB 19C-1E will allow contractors to work inside buildings and in emissions sensitive inner-city environments. It will also allow rail contractors to operate in tunnels and underground, without having to install costly exhaust extraction equipment. 

Another huge advantage of the new electric mini is that the external noise is a massive five times quieter than its traditional diesel-powered counterpart. This means contractors can work after normal hours in urban streets without disturbing residents, as well operating in other noise sensitive environments including hospitals and schools.

Headlines

• A new, streamlined approach to recruiting apprentices.
• 293 applications for 16 roles.
• 100 per cent vacancy fill rate.
• 82 per cent retention rate.
• Effective pathway for new talent entering in the industry with entry level requirements and opportunities for structured development.
• Exemplary collaborative work from client, JVs and labour-only sub-contractors.

Case study

In early 2019, Tideway Main Works Contractors joint ventures (JVs) coordinated the recruitment into the first cohort of Tunnelling Operative apprentices in the industry, with a view to helping address a skills gap in the tunnelling sector and attract new talent into the construction industry. 

The JVs secured support from the infrastructure owner, Tideway, and buy-in from their specialist labour-only supply chain who would be the apprentices’ employers. 

By leveraging the Tideway brand and working in collaboration, the Tideway project was able to generate 293 applications for 16 roles, 12 at Tideway and 4 at on other projects generating a vacancy fill rate of 100 per cent. To date, retention is 82 per cent overall and 84 per cent at Tideway, thus improving recruitment and retention outcomes across the supply chain.

About Tideway

Tideway is the company building the Thames Tideway Tunnel – a 25km super sewer deep beneath the river that will ‘intercept’ those spills and clean up London’s greatest natural asset. The work is being carried out by a number of world-class joint ventures: Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Bam Nuttall in the west; Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke in central; Costain, Vinci and Bachy Soletanche in the east. 

The labour-only sub-contractors that are employing the Tunnelling Operative Apprentices directly on Tideway are Tunnelcraft, RorCon, McGinley Support Services and Reliable Contractors. Joseph Gallagher is employing the apprentices outside Tideway project and Dudley College of Technology is the training provider.

Read the full case study and see the infographic. 

Watch this video on a young entrant's experience in the tunnelling operative apprenticeship.

Headlines

• Partnership between West London College, Women into Construction and Berkeley Group.
• 14 unemployed women enrolled onto employability training. 
• All women passed the Level 1 Health & Safety training and given CSCS Cards.

Case study

“If you had told me six months ago that I would be working in construction I would have laughed”, Angela.

Hub Coordinator for West London, Barry Mortimer, met Angela and other unemployed women at Ealing Jobcentre to promote a course to be delivered in partnership with Women into Construction. Angela decided to enrol and just a few weeks later was offered a job by top plumbing company H20 Plumbing and Heating Services on the prestigious Berkeley construction site at Southall Waterside – one of London’s most significant regeneration developments.

Fourteen unemployed women with backgrounds in retail, childcare, driving, stock control, and office admin were introducing to the world of construction and housebuilding in London. The women were given employability training by West London College. The course covered CV writing, interview skills and confidence building. Participants learnt about construction health and safety and were put through the CSCS test, which provides proof that individuals have the appropriate training and qualifications to work on site. After this, Berkeley Group provided a wide range of work placements for the women on their West London construction sites.

Angela decided to try her hand at a plumbing work placement and has not looked back. H20 Plumbing recognised Angela’s commitment and talent and offered her a job.

Read the full case study.