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A pioneering scheme to maximise the opportunities presented by a boom in construction activity in Cornwall is being launched today. The industry initiative being pioneered in Cornwall will be the first of its kind in the country and is being seen as an important step towards fulfilling the county's construction needs with local labour. Constructive Cornwall is a groundbreaking partnership aimed at ensuring that the huge volume of construction work currently being undertaken in Cornwall – much of it through the Objective One Programme – provides opportunities for all local people to secure the jobs and training they need, via apprenticeships, and upskilling, and encouraging more women into the industry; thus creating permanent jobs and a recruitment facility that is known and used. The Objective One Programme and the South West Regional Development Agency have both significantly contributed to the amount of large scale building projects in Cornwall. Major joint projects earmarked for completion within the next few years include 12,332 sq metres of employment units being created at Cardrew (total project cost of almost £6.5 million) and 20,000 sq metres of groundbreaking design at the Penryn site for the hub campus of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (£44.8 million development). It is hoped the Constructive Cornwall scheme will address what has been identified as a skills shortage in the sector. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have estimated that the Westcountry will need an additional 38,000 skilled craftsmen over the next five years to sustain the necessary level of labour in the industry, due to natural wastage. A partnership between the Construction Industry Training Board, Jobcentre Plus, Cornwall College, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Devon & Cornwall and the South West Regional Development Agency, plus local, regional and national construction companies, is working together to make Constructive Cornwall a success. The scheme encourages contractors to take on new trainees – at adult or apprentice level - through subsidised training costs and wage subsidies. In some cases this could be up to 45% of the trainee’s wages in the first year. The aim is to create a fully qualified workforce to NVQ2 level and highly skilled workforce offering NVQ3, with trainees then able to move forward from one project to the next, increasing their qualifications and skills as they go. An initial recruitment questionnaire has already identified 100 people who would like to enter the construction industry in Cornwall, and funding has been secured for 30 training places. 10 local unemployed people have already commenced a new 16-week course, starting them off on the 1st rung of the construction ladder, and will complete the course with a nationally recognised qualification and a competence card enabling them to work in the industry. Bernadette Parkinson of the Construction Industry Training Board, said: “Cornwall is on a roll at present but the large number of building projects are soaking up available skills. “Constructive Cornwall will tackle that by offering incentives to employers to take on new staff and provide the right training to ensure local people can take full advantage of the opportunities available now and in the future, and get the right qualifications. “We want to ensure Constructive Cornwall is included in all of Cornwall’s major building projects planned for the future, including St Austell urban village and town centre, the next phase of the Eden project and the regeneration of Camborne, Pool and Redruth.” The South West RDA is backing the scheme by including Constructive Cornwall in RDA 'Framework contracts' which includes all build projects directly funded by the RDA in Cornwall. Stephen Bohane, RDA Cornwall Head of Operations, said: “There are a very large number of capital projects either underway or proposed in Cornwall, and we want to ensure that local labour and sub-contractors are used wherever possible. “By helping companies take on new trainees, we not only create employment and help people gain qualifications but we also increase capacity in local companies so they can compete for more contracts and retain wealth in Cornwall.” One company supporting Constructive Cornwall is Sir Robert McAlpine, who are constructing the CUC project at Tremough, Penryn, Project Manager Jim McTaggart said: We support this scheme wholeheartedly, and we are actively encouraging all of our sub-contractors to become involved. As a result of this initiative we are employing local sub-contractors helping them qualify their workforce and gain CSCS cards, and supporting them in providing sustainable employment and training opportunities. For more information contact:
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