Annex H - Specification: Construction Gateway
Construction is identified as a high growth sector with significant demand for skills to respond to key development across the WMCA, these include Commonwealth Games, HS2, Regional rail infrastructure both Metro and Rail, and the various residential projects that are being undertaken.
To leverage these opportunities and ensure our residents can benefit, its essential that we have provision in place to support training into these opportunities:
The sector data highlights for the region
Skills shortages across four key areas – professional services in construction, plant operatives, traditional/wet trades and emerging trades (steel erection, concrete formwork, dry lining and modern methods of construction
Construction sector requiring an additional 50,000 staff to satisfy the planned developments
A shortage of women in the construction sector across all roles but especially those roles within the four key shortage areas
A shortage of disadvantaged groups as part of the workforce of the future including ex- offenders, care leavers, BAME and residents with disabilities
In 2018, the WMCA introduced a pilot programme called the Construction Gateway funded by DfE to enable non-traditional training delivery to take place leading to CSCS accreditation. The focus of the provision is to support progression into entry level job roles in the construction trades, with further
progression to higher skills training reflecting the needs of the sectors future workforce. Through the construction gateway 50% of residents who started secured employment
The offer
The WMCA through its AEB will fund the Construction Gateway to meet the needs of its unemployed residents in securing employment in a range of construction-based occupations including:
-
Plant operative roles
-
Logistics roles
-
Health and safety roles
-
Dry Lining
-
Civil Engineering
-
Rail Sector
The mandatory requirements for construction gateway provision is as follows:
-
Provision must be in line with CSCS, CPCS or equivalent industry carding scheme requirements to ensure on completion of the programme the resident holds CSCS and an appropriate industry accredited card e.g. CPCS.
-
A guaranteed job interview on completion of the programme
-
Content of the delivery should be influenced by employers to enable the progression into employment
-
For each resident they should be linked to real job vacancy that they have will have the opportunity to matched against through an interview.
-
Bidders must have a clear plan to engage with employers, DWP (JC+), Prospects (National
Careers service), Local Authorities and Third Sector organisations and local residents
-
To support retention and progression, bidders must have a clear approach for initial, advice and guidance, career tracking and destination monitoring at pre, during and post programme delivery.
A minimum of 50% of completers progressing to employment Role of Providers
We expect colleges and providers who have expertise in delivering trade related construction provision to deliver the construction gateway within AEB. Those colleges and ITP’s who have entry level and level 1 construction as part of their delivery plan must have in place a construction gateway offer to transition unemployed individuals into work.
Through this approach we want to reduce the amount of low-level construction-based provision where progression rates in work are extremely low. Our approach is to ensure that provision in place is meaningful for residents to secure employment in the construction industry and provide training for in-work progression
Courses
The focus on the construction gateway is develop residents’ occupational skills to secure employment in the construction sector. Through working with employers, the provider should determine the inputs required to be delivered to support the successful matching to the vacancy and interview for the resident. Providers should consider prior learning, knowledge and construction card held to determine point of entry for phase 1 and phase through initial assessment, the WMCA will only pay for ‘new learning’