The launch of this exciting scheme was attended by Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. Mr Cable met with Kier management and some of the apprentices who have been selected to take part in the scheme at Kier’s Queensland Road development of 352 affordable homes near the Emirates Stadium, in partnership with Newlon Housing Trust, Arsenal FC and Islington Council.
The Kier CTLA, developed in conjunction with the UK Contractors Group (UKCG) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), is the first of its kind; combining training in areas such as communication and decision making alongside construction, culminating in a highly transferable Level 2 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) with employment and further education opportunities for the best candidates. As modern methods of construction require less traditional craft trades and fewer tradesmen are progressing to supervisor, this qualification – by developing broader construction and supervisory skills – will help make the British construction industry even more competitive. It will also offer sustainable employment prospects for some of those between the ages of 16 and 24 who are currently out of work.
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The scheme combines month-long study placements at the National Construction College in Norfolk with 3 month site placements on Kier contracts throughout the UK. There are currently 43 young people enrolled on the scheme, with two cohorts recruited to the programme each year. Upon completing the two-year NVQ Level 2 in Construction Team Leading, apprentices will be given the opportunity to pursue a one-year Advanced Apprenticeship NVQ Level 3. This can be followed by the option of further employment with Kier on its three-year Foundation Degree in Construction Management and then a one-year ‘top-up’ to a full honours degree, with the option to become fully employed by Kier at any stage of this.
Kier Group executive director, Steve Bowcott, said: “A lack of training and development of young people during the last recession led to serious shortages in both the professional and the skilled workforce. We need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. The Construction Team Leader Apprenticeship offers placements on Kier contracts throughout the UK, equipping these apprentices with the diverse range of skills required to deliver the first line supervisor needs in the early years of their construction careers.”
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