That is until now, as Finning News discovered when it recently took a tube journey and a 5 minute walk from the Northern Line station at Elephant and Castle, Central London, to visit the new Southwark Construction Skills Centre, run by QTS Training Ltd.
To find out what makes the facility different and to learn about its new operator training partnership with Finning and Caterpillar®
, we met up with QTS Training
Managing Director, Jon Howlin: “The training centre is part of the wider vision of Southwark Council and Lend Lease, to engage with local residents and contractors involved with the construction of close to 3000 houses and 50 shops. “The model we are adopting is really quite simple. Lend Lease and its contractors work together to identify the skills shortages they face in advance of the programme of works and liaise with our team.
“We then work with the local community, with the support of Southwark Council to identify and train local residents for what are real ‘demand led’ jobs. So we know that we are delivering relevant training and developing skilled operatives that can practically do the work that is needed, once they complete the training.
“In addition, we are able to offer training support to renew certifications and up skill the existing workforce, which is both convenient for contractors and operatives, as it reduces downtime. A key part of our overall strategy is based around community engagement and outreach. So we very much have an open door education driven policy, engaging with
“So when we were looking for a plant equipment partner, we contacted Finning and Caterpillar to see if they could support both our equipment and training needs. This has involved the creation of what is the first collaborative partnership of its kind between the three organisations. In practical terms, Finning and Caterpillar have provided the equipment, with Finning, through its training division, set to deliver industry leading accredited training in a dedicated area, right next to our facility.
“The ability to add plant training, linked with a globally recognised brand to our portfolio of services, really has boosted our profile. Thanks to our location, passers by and those training in our classrooms can also visibly see plant training taking place in our secure facility, which also encourages participation and awareness.
“I definitely think this is something we will be able to replicate in the future and even at the early stages of our facility going live, we can really see the advantage of the more collaborative and inclusive training solution we have developed.“
local schools, colleges and young people to show them the diverse range of skills and job roles in the construction industry. “This for me is very important, as the whole of the industry is struggling with the issue of increasing diversity. Our core goal is to become a centrally located and relevant training hub, with the right facilities and latest equipment, not a traditional training or education establishment.
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