Community Skills Centre 

Briefly describe the initiative/ project/service; please include your aims and objectives

In collaboration with Vinci and Blackpool Council, SCC successfully established the first Community Skills Centre at Vinci’s King Street site in Blackpool. This initiative received full support with the intention of providing a quality training experience that eliminates barriers to employment while delivering fundamental construction skills training. By conducting training on-site, we aim to offer young people a positive vision of their future, making the training experience more tangible and fostering connections with potential employers. This innovative approach aligns with our mission to address the dynamic needs of both the construction industry and the community in which we operate.

What are the key achievements?

The outcomes for the students exceeded our expectations, especially considering the significant barriers to employment that each student faced. Many of these students had previously disengaged from mainstream education, and some were already known to services in Blackpool. The success of the programme in light of these challenges underscores the effectiveness of our approach in reaching and positively impacting individuals who may have otherwise been marginalised or overlooked. Furthermore, the success of the programme also highlights the impactful results achieved through effective collaboration with key partners such as Vinci, Blackpool Council, and The Platform. This collaborative effort reflects a commitment to addressing the specific needs of students and emphasises the strength of partnerships in delivering comprehensive and effective educational solutions. The initiative saw 6 out of 8 NEETs qualified at level 1 in various trades and into employment post the 19 week training course held on site at the King Street Project.

How Innovative is your initiative?

The initiative was the first of its kind ran on a construction site in Blackpool. it was created to target young people aged 16-24 not engaging in employment or training and faced barriers to employment. The outcomes for the students exceeded our expectations, especially considering the significant barriers to employment that each student faced. Many of these students had previously disengaged from mainstream education, and some were already known to services in Blackpool. The success of the programme in light of these challenges underscores the effectiveness of our approach in reaching and positively impacting, 80% of the individuals into employment who may have otherwise been marginalised or overlooked. What are the key learning points? Points to take into account: Collaborative working, early planning, responsive to students needs, treating everyone as an individual, as they all have different needs thinking creatively, on going recruitment, good communication, effective relationships with third party resources.

This initiative is very scale-able to other construction projects in the area.

Additional Comments

Quotes from Students Penial said ” “I have learnt so many things on the course, including health and safety and why it is important, as well as bricklaying and groundwork skills. I loved creating designs with block paving. In future I would like to be an architect or a project manager.”

James said “I wanted a skill for life so signed up to the course. I really enjoyed the course and learnt new skills. The tutors guided me and helped me when I required some assistance.”