Warwickshire college students the first to benefit from innovative construction work experience academy
Students from a pair of Warwickshire colleges have been the first to benefit from a hands-on work experience academy programme led by a leading Banbury-based carpentry contractor.
Seven students from Moreton Morrell College and Rugby College, which are part of WCG (Warwickshire College Group), have completed the ‘Site Ready’ course - created by LJ Construction to make sure students have had site-based experience before heading to work in industry.
Following the seven-week course, the Level 2 Site Carpentry students have been awarded trainee positions as self-employed carpenters and two are already on-site working across LJ Construction projects.
LJ Construction was founded in 1985, employs a workforce of more than 150 and specialises in medium to large scale construction sites across central England.
The business has created a purpose-built training facility at its Banbury-headquarters, which allows the students to gain experience of working on site and develop site-based practices such as stud walls and winding staircases.
The course also uses the facility to educate on site manager support, waste management and power tool competency.
LJ Construction equipped all students on the course with their own tool kit and has helped the trainees to work toward and complete their Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), which proves they have the appropriate training and qualifications to work on a construction site.
The work experience programme with LJ Construction strengthens the existing relationship between the business and WCG - with the carpentry contractor already having taken on an apprentice through the college group.
Louise Hugill, Industry Placement Coordinator for WCG, said: “To have these type of relationships with a progressive business like LJ Construction can make the world of difference to the employment prospective of our students.
“There is a big different between working and learning in a college workshop, to actually using those skills on site. The LJ Construction training course bridges that gap by replicating a live site environment and provides a great stepping stone for students in a safe environment.
“It is fantastic that a number of the students have now been taken on as trainees and been fast-tracked into the industry as a result of WCG’s partnership with LJ Construction.”
LJ Construction has plans to expand its ‘Site Ready’ programme to help support the development of more aspiring carpenters across the region.
Students that go on to achieve trainee positions with LJ Construction are matched with a hand-picked mentor to continue supporting their development on site.
Ryan Jones, Director of LJ Construction, added: “We visited a range of colleges and it became apparent that a key barrier to employment was a lack of work experience and there was a clear desire from tutors to overcome that challenge.
“Ultimately, it is all about getting the students ready to work on site and that is what we hope to do through delivering courses at our construction academy.
“We welcome Level 2 students that are approaching the end of their course and in a need for the work experience required to make the jump into industry.
“It works like a mini-site and we get them site ready. We welcomed 10 students to the programme, and a number of those have already begun working as self-employed carpenters on our sites, which is fantastic for us, the college and most importantly, the students.”
To find out more about site carpentry courses at WCG visit www.wcg.ac.uk/study
