Commitment to a new training initiative in the West Midlands is signed and sealed

4 October 2007: Dedicated members from the West Midlands Skills Academy Partnership demonstrated their commitment to the new National Skills Academy for Construction during the formal signing of the charter officially launching this new training and learning initiative.

The event, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Birmingham, saw the completion of months of planning and preparation and the start of the new initiative. Overseen by ConstructionSkills Regional Manager Sandra Bell, the signing of the charter by the partners demonstrates the commitment of a large number of influential parties within the industry. Formed earlier this year the group comprises ConstructionSkills, employers, local authorities, Advantage West Midlands, West Midlands Learning and Skills Council, Jobcentre plus, the West Midlands Centre for Construction Excellence, the Centre of Vocational Excellence network and Sector Skills Councils concerned with construction.

The National Skills Academy for Construction is a new, site based, employer-led approach to learning sponsored by the Sector Skills Council for Construction, ConstructionSkills. Chairman of the Partnership, Paul Dockerill commented: “I was delighted to see so many of the partners join together today to demonstrate their ongoing support and commitment to the Skills Academy.

We are determined to make sure the Skills Academy will be a success by training skilled workers and creating life long careers within the industry. By working with such a range of partners we are connecting all related parties to ensure we offer a new connected approach to delivering workforce skills.”

The initiative demonstrates the ongoing commitment to improving training within the Construction industry across the UK. The West Midlands initiative is one of several across the UK combining to ensure the construction industry in the UK can compete with some of the best in the world by 2010.

Engineered to ensure that high quality projects are completed safely, on time and to budget, the Skills Academy will ensure that the skills of the workforce are developed to the high standard required of their employer. All Projects undertaken will train local people with local employers helping to create sustainable communities.

Sandra Bell, Regional Manager for ConstructionSkills said: “We are dedicated to training skilled Construction workers and an initiative such as this is an ideal means to do so. Employers benefit from extra workers, communities benefit from extra, sounder development and over time we will provide the best construction industries in the world”.