A construction college providing industrial training for up to 70 apprentices, aged between 16 and 18, has opened in north Liverpool.
The North Liverpool Construction Training Centre on St. Anne Street will be targeting that particular age group after statistics published by the city council showed that 90% of 16 to 18-year-olds are not in employment, education or training (NEET).
The scheme will allow the apprentices to undertake two-year courses and gain level 2 qualifications in plastering, joinery and bricklaying.
The centre was developed by the charity and social enterprise North Liverpool Regeneration Company (NLRCo) which has supported hundreds of businesses, as well as generating hundreds of jobs across the city in recent years.
The funding was donated by the Skills Funding Agency, which funds training schemes in Further Education.
Nicola Kelly, project manager at NLRCo, told JMU Journalism: “We work specifically with young people who are NEET and from disadvantage areas so by supporting them to achieve a qualification it helps them in developing confidence and also focus towards again employment and qualifications.”
The charity has been helping people getting into construction since 2009, training at least 70 people per year, helping them gain the required skills needed to be successful in the field. The NLRCo converted an old warehouse into a dedicated construction building with the facilities going to be refurbished by the apprentices themselves.
Councillor Nick Small, who is the Cabinet member for Employment, Enterprise and Skills, officially opened the building last Friday. He said the city needed to get more people into the industry.
Small told JMU Journalism: “It’s a growing sector, as there is more development in the city – Alder Hey Hospital, Anfield stadium – it is paramount we get local people, in particular, young people a chance of getting the jobs.”