The firm welcomed apprentices to the site as company employees began building their new training college. The apprentices, aged between 16 and 20, joined executive director Alan Burns, who began his career as an apprentice blacksmith 30 years ago, Glasgow City councillor Allan Casey, who began his career as an apprentice joiner with the firm. City Building trains apprentices in a variety of disciplines, including painting, plumbing, electrical and joinery.
The new college, in the grounds of Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (RSBI) near Springburn, has been designed to accommodate more than 250 apprentices and tradespeople.
City Building said that the college will mirror its efforts to contribute to a green economy. Renewable energy technology will enhance the energy-efficiency of the building, and the design includes a ground source heating system. City Building will also be constructing the college, allowing employees the opportunity to build upon their existing knowledge of renewables.
Casey said: “It is an exceptionally exciting time for the firm as we welcome more apprentices and commence the building of the training college. The college represents our commitment to renewables within the construction sector, and to the workforce in the wider construction industry. We are delighted that City Building employees will gain first-hand experience in the college’s construction, which will also allow us to use more innovative construction technologies in skilling our apprentices and workforce.
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“Through our existing renewables workstream, we retrofit homes in Glasgow with solar panels and ground source heating to encourage a greener city, which feels particularly apt with COP26 fast approaching. The training college will allow us to upskill our workforce and provide much more sustainable construction.”
Burns has said that despite the delays that lockdown has presented to the firm, City Building has held over £200m in contracts for both of its entities: City Building (Glasgow) and City Building (Contracts). This allowed the company to continue with its annual recruitment of apprentices for Glasgow City Council and Wheatley Housing Group.
Burns said: “There was a real buzz in the air as we watched the site enter the first phase of its transformation. It is our hope that both current and future apprentices will be able to enjoy the training college and benefit from the new training opportunities it will support.”
The building is set for completion by 2022.
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