Creating opportunities across the country with skills bootcamps

Building Heroes is now offering fully funded onsite training and Level 3 Skills Bootcamps to support ex-military in to the construction industry.

It is dedicated to supporting Armed Forces service leavers, veterans and the wider military family. Our programmes operate nationally with 9 Further Education Providers in 12 locations (with centres in Cheshire, East Midlands, West Midlands, Teesside, Essex, Wiltshire, Hampshire, West Sussex, the South West & London) providing us with the capacity to train over 1,000 military personnel/veterans a year.

We provide training and employment support into a new career in the construction industry by equipping our beneficiaries with a broad range of trade skills and then connecting them with a network of employers. Once graduated from our ‘gateway’ 5-week programme individuals will have achieved: 

• L1 Construction Skills, Performing Engineering Operations or Groundworks/Civils
• Level 1 Award in Health & Safety
• CSCS exam and card
• Work experience/site intervention

Throughout the programme we work with our beneficiaries, providing employability skills to identify an appropriate career path whether this be employment, self-employment or further training.

Skills Bootcamps
Building Heroes are in partnership with Learning Curve Group to deliver the Government initiative 12-week Skills Bootcamps.

Aimed at those who are 19 years old or above, in work, self-employed, recently unemployed or returning to work after a break, a Skills Bootcamp could be the right choice for you. It provides an excellent opportunity to quickly increase your skills in a specific area and fast-track into a new job or get ahead with your current employer. 

The Building Heroes Skills Bootcamp in Construction is a funded Level 3 qualification delivered over a 12-week period and available across 5 regions – the South West, South East, London, East Midlands and East England.

Attendance is 2 days per week face to face with your tutor and 2 additional sessions of independent learning. To enter the programme, applicants will need a strong desire to work in the construction sector.

This fully funded programme will provide learners with the skills they need to enter employment into the Construction sector and develop into roles such as Project Management, Site Management and many more.

Included in the units are online Health and Safety courses, plus career coaching and progression. The learner progression following your Level 3 qualification could be a traineeship, apprenticeship, or new employment opportunity. Our Construction Skills Bootcamps can be adapted in each area to meet employer’s skills demands which are then matched to job vacancies. 

Optional elements may include:
• Asbestos Awareness
• Manual Handling
• CPCS Hoist Operator, Banksman
• Abrasive Wheel,
• Confined Spaces
• Fire Marshall,
• COSHH
• First Aid at work Training 

Skills Bootcamps are a quick and practical route to help you get ahead and secure a better job. They are designed to be flexible and suitable for a wide range of adults and are delivered with local employers who will offer a guaranteed job interview on competition of the course. We will be running further programmes in these regions throughout the coming year.

Regions & First Course Dates:
• South East, Aldershot – 13th September
• South West, Exeter – 13th September
• London, Various – 13th September & 15th September
• East England, Colchester – 20th September
• East Midlands, Various – 29th September & 11th October

Building Heroes Academies – “Our way forward”
In order to get the best outcomes for our beneficiaries, we are placing Building Heroes Academies at the heart of our development to provide skills and training and employment pathways that follow the Design, Build, Operate phases of a building life cycle. Academies are locally positioned on long term developments, or in a central location which feeds not only one project, but other developments across a region. An Academy provides training for up to 100 military learners per academic year. 

Academies will deliver a range of qualifications from basic construction skills, groundwork and civils and plant training, to classroom-based and industry specific skills tickets. The model is set up to be agile and one that can scale according to the size of the developments. It follows the different phases of the project, highlighting the skills and training needed for the different roles to meet the needs of those industry employers. Building Heroes works with the employers and supply chain to fill their vacancies and provides wrap-around welfare support for the learners throughout the whole process.

An Academy is set up in partnership with the developer, contractor and local educational establishment and employers. An ideal location will be situated in the heart of a development or close by. 

Academy Locations
Sherford Academy near Plymouth is well underway with the basic construction programme, and we are close to securing a plant training academy in the Exeter area.
Birmingham Academy launches on the 13th Sep 21, initially at South City College with a move to on site early 2022.
Ibstock Academy in the East Midlands launches on the 20th Sep 2021 with partners Davidsons Homes and West Notts College.
Blaydon Academy in Tyne & Wear is set to launch early October 2021 with partners Costain and Learning Curve Group, this will be groundworks/civils.
London Academies across various sites with partners Regal London and Wandsworth College are due to launch early 2022.
Swindon Academy is due to launch Autumn 2021 in conjunction with CITB Hubs.

Plans are also in place to open our first academy in South Wales shortly, watch this space…

Investment in the local community
Each ex-military person recruited into a community can provide up to £30,000 of social value. This as an important factor for contractors and employers when they engage with us and our model from the outset.  Many development projects have invested in skills training, we believe this is much more about investment in local people, with local training, progressing into local jobs to support the needs of the local economy and satisfy current industry shortages.

Through the provision of welfare support and CV and employability guidance, on successful completion of our 5-week programme we look to deliver work ready applicants who can progress into roles with our employer network, set up as self-employed with the option of joining Building Heroes Property Services, or progress in to further training. 

Outcomes
Our aim is to provide skills and employment pathways within the industry which support the local needs of the community and employers. The benefit of our engagement is that we can match the skills, experience, and personality of the individual to that of the employer. We know that military leavers provide a wealth of transferable skills (reliable work ethic, motivated productivity, communication skills, flexibility, teamwork etc) and we’re experienced in selling those benefits to employers.  

Our onsite provision also provides an opportunity for contractors to see individuals in action and engage regularly with our trainees, offering hands-on experience through site tours and work experience opportunities. Building Heroes Academies address the needs of employers and the wider economy to deliver targeted interventions and positive outcomes. We are not just about training we provide a whole package of recruit, reskill and re-deploy.

For more information or to apply for a place in one of our centres or academies, visit our website www.buildingheroes.org.uk

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