Wolverhampton's first construction training hub has been opened on the site of the former Wednesfield High School.

Based at Willmott Dixon's 'The Marches' housing project, the hub will help local unemployed residents to find employment. So far, seven of the first 20 trainees to have completed a four-week course via the hub have found temporary or full-time jobs, with regular support remaining in place from Wolves at Work to help find jobs for the others.

The trainees are getting hands-on construction experience as part of their course at City of Wolverhampton College.

The new hub is being run by Wolves at Work employment programme in partnership with Willmott Dixon and City of Wolverhampton College.

The funding comes from West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) after it unlocked £2.3m from the Government's Construction Skills Fund, to be delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) for the creation of a series of regional training hubs. They will advertise live job vacancies, which local people can apply for, with the aim that at least 50 per cent of those receiving training secure long-term employment.

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Simon Liversage, director at Willmott Dixon, said: "Although it is still in its infancy, this training hub is already changing lives by providing the expertise and knowledge for people to develop their careers. One trainee secured paid employment as a labourer with us on a local primary school construction site, and another is working with us onsite at The Marches now. At Willmott Dixon, we believe we have a purpose beyond profit and that includes leaving a lasting positive legacy in the areas where we work. I believe that, through the Construction Skills Training Hub in Wolverhampton, we are doing just that."

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, added: "The construction industry in the West Midlands will need 50,000 more trained staff by 2030, and so we need to make sure local people have the skills to fill these jobs. This is why the WMCA is funding on-site training hubs in partnership with the industry across the region, so that more people benefit from hands-on experience to gain employment in the construction sector. The hubs are a great way to link local residents to job opportunities created by investment on their doorstep and give them first-hand experience of what it's like to work in construction, together with a guaranteed interview for a job at the end of their course."

(CM/JG)