Rebuilding our future

Buildings and people are all trying to find their place after the area changed completely in the past three decades. Declan Riddell from Groundworks explains two of the projects that are taking place locally to ensure that local people aren’t left out by the changes in the economy.

PROJECT: North Staffordshire Construction Employment Centre
WHERE: across North Staffordshire

Over the next few years North Staffordshire will be changing – with £2.3billion of investment in new buildings and landscapes and thousands of jobs being created in the construction industry. North Staffordshire Construction Employment Centre (NSCEC) is aiming to take advantage of this for the local economy by improving skills and employment within the industry among the people of North Staffordshire to ensure that these new jobs will be filled by local people.

NSCEC have set up a database with details of people who are interested in working with partners in redeveloping the local area. All you need to do is register with them. They are also looking for people who are not in the construction industry who wish to be considered for training.

After extensive work throughout the region, NSCEC have now collated details of hundreds of skilled and semi skilled local people who are already getting work and training in the construction industry. Despite this success they are still actively looking for more people who are seeking work in construction. If you want to work within the construction industry, call and register your interest. NSCEC can then help you by improving your skills, retraining you and linking you to local employers and jobs.

Tim Robins the Project Manager from NSCEC says:
“We are setting up a database with names and contact details of individuals who are interested in being part of the multi million pound regeneration of North Staffordshire or who are interested in training for work within the construction industry. We can also follow this up with specialist training to work towards a specific skill qualification catered to the employer’s needs. In all, around 2,500 jobs will be created in construction as part of the development plans – we want to help make sure local people don’t miss out.”

If you are interested in taking advantage of this free service, call on freephone 0800 6122737 to register your interest. More info online at www.nscec.org.uk

PROJECT: Groundwork Community Training
Programme
WHERE: Ball Green, Chell Heath, Fegg Hayes, Norton.
Based in Burslem, Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent is part of a federation of trusts across the UK, tasked with managing and delivering training and support schemes leading to the employment of disadvantaged people and in empowering local community groups, so stimulating the local labour market.

Groundwork Stoke on Trent is delivering a Community Training Programme aimed at the communities of Ball Green, Chell Heath, Fegg Hayes and Norton, surrounding the Chatterley Whitfield site (pictured). The programme is being delivered with support from the European Regional Development Fund and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and is aiming to identify the training that local residents will need, to tackle a skills gap.

Earlier this year, surveys were posted to homes in Ball Green, Chell Heath, Fegg Hayes and Norton, asking residents to select training courses needed to tackle a skills gap.
Groundwork is now planning the delivery of a range of training courses to meet the demand of local residents – some of the training courses to be delivered completely free of charge. Courses to be delivered will include English, Maths, First Aid at Work Appointed Person and Health and Safety in the Workplace. Based on the positive response from the local community, further courses could be delivered in the very near future.

The Community Training Programme is being delivered from the Chatterley Whitfield site and is part of the ongoing regeneration of this historic and valuable site.
Any local residents from Ball Green, Chell Heath, Fegg Hayes or Norton, who would like to apply for a place on a training course, should contact Declan Riddell or Tara Burndred of Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent on 01782 821597.