View publication - Chartered Institute of Housing

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
• Small business support – Working in partnership with Construction Skills, Business
Link and West Midlands Centre for Construction Excellence (WMCCE), we supported
local businesses working with us by offering training support and guidance.
Wolverhampton Homes and its partners have also been involved in various careers open
days at local schools and colleges. As part of the Skills Academy Status, we arranged
various events to increase awareness of opportunities available in construction and
housing. This increased the understanding of the construction industry amongst nontraditional,
diverse groups. Some examples are detailed below:
• Women in construction event – This was held at the Black Country Museum and
was attended by four teams of girls aged between 14 and 16 offering them a taste
of careers in construction. The students were given an architect’s design brief for the
conversion of one of the existing buildings on the Museum site. All four teams
participated enthusiastically and arrived at realistic, and in some cases, innovative
solutions.
• Celebrating our trainees awards ceremony – 20 trainees, apprentices and
students were presented with awards at a prestigious awards ceremony organised by
Wolverhampton Homes at The Molineux. The individuals were all employed through
the Wolverhampton Decent Homes programme and had either learnt a trade or skill
themselves or had supported training opportunities for others in areas such as
plumbing, carpentry, painting and decorating, surveying and contracts management.
• Construction trade taster day – Organised by Wolverhampton Homes and
Carillion, the event targeted at 15 and 16 year-olds, aimed to get them interested in
a career in construction and help them develop their practical skills.
• Bilston careers fair – Wolverhampton Homes along with its Decent Homes
contractors supported the Bilston careers event to provide careers/employment
opportunities, along with advice and guidance.
• Teachers Event – In partnership with the Education Business Partnership (EBP), we
hosted this event for teachers and careers advisors from schools across the city. With
the aim of increasing their awareness and understanding of the industry; and to
share best practice on how the project could impact effectively with local schools.
Demonstrating a commitment to apprentices and trainees
The partnership has been committed to providing opportunities to individuals from a
range of backgrounds including those local people falling into the ‘workless’ group. This
is why a range of opportunities have been provided by us using targeted events to
identify local candidates from non-traditional groups.
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