Skills providers with the quality mark can join councils, housing associations and builders in being eligible to bid for funding. The idea is to improve the coordination of skills training with employers’ needs, as well as engaging with local schools to promote construction careers.
The approved London construction training providers qualify for membership of a new organisation called the Mayor's Construction Academy, which is a network rather than a physical organisation.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I’m committed to building the workforce of the future – and a key part of this is recognising the best skills providers across the city and using them as exemplars from which others can learn.”
The skills providers which have been awarded the mayor’s quality mark are:
- London South East Colleges (Greenwich)
- Sigma Group (Southwark)
- West London College (Hammersmith & Fulham)
- MIT Skills (Hounslow)
- Uxbridge College (Hillingdon)
- CITB Apprenticeships (London-wide)
- Barking & Dagenham College (BDC) and Prospects College of Advanced Technology (PROCAT) (Barking & Dagenham)
- Havering College of Further & Higher Education (Havering)
- Barnet &Southgate College (Barnet)
- Newham College of Further Education (Newham)
- South Thames Colleges Group (Wandsworth and Kingston)
- New City College (Hackney and Tower Hamlets)
- The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (Haringey)
- London South Bank University (Southwark)
- United College Group (Camden and Brent)
- NESCOT College (Sutton)
- Lewisham Southwark College (Lewisham)
- The STC Group (Havering)
- Waltham Forest College (Waltham Forest)
- Prospects College of Advanced Technology (Redbridge)
- Simian Risk Management Limited (London-wide)
Southwark Council leader Peter John, who chairs the mayor’s construction skills advisory group, said: “London has an incredibly dynamic economy but faces a number of serious challenges – not least ensuring London can tackle its housing crisis through the delivery of more affordable homes. In Southwark we have set up our own Construction Skills Centre with our development partners Lendlease, to help ensure local people in and around Southwark have the skills and right qualifications to meet the increasing demand in this area. With this new strategy, the mayor is outlining the bold steps he will take to create a world-leading skills system and develop the workforce of the future.”
Lendlease chief executive Dan Labbad said: “Closing the construction skills gap is one of the biggest challenges our industry faces and Lendlease is committed to playing its part. Since setting up the Southwark Construction Skills Centre in partnership with Southwark Council and Sigma Group two years ago we have provided construction training for more than 4,000 people. Being recognised by the Mayor of London’s Construction Academy programme is a terrific endorsement and we look forward to working with the mayor to continue tackling this issue so that we have the skills to build the future that London needs. There are lots of interesting careers in construction for both women and men and it’s an exciting time to begin a career in what is such a varied industry.”
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