A series of two-week placements giving young people in Ceredigion an opportunity to discover the range of professional and trade roles associated with the construction industry has been launched.
Inspire to Build is led by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David's Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) team in partnership with Cyfle Building Skills' apprenticeships team.
The project, which is part of a Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales (Local Policy and Innovation Partnership for Rural Wales) initiative and supported by Ceredigion County Council, has been developed to highlight the wide-ranging and rewarding careers that the built environment has to offer.
It focuses on not only trade routes, but also the allied, technical and professional roles that can often be overlooked by potential learners. These roles include architectural technology, construction management and quantity surveying, as well as the more familiar trade professions such as carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing and plastering.
The aim of this pilot project, which is linked to vocational skills development within Ceredigion, is to create a work experience offer that is inclusive for learners who may not have considered construction and the built environment as a career option, as well as to make pathways and progression routes clear between schools, further and higher education and the workplace. It will highlight the construction sector's relevance to a broad range of students, including those studying art, design and environmentally-focused courses.
Gareth Evans, Head of CWIC, said:
“CWIC is well placed to lead on the development of the Inspire to Build project in partnership with Cyfle Building Skills and employers in Ceredigion. It is part of the Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales' response to the need to diversify the workforce in the construction and the built environment industries and aims to address the lack of understanding and awareness that exist about the many and varied roles within these industries as well as tackle skills shortages within our rural communities.
“Across Wales, many learners assume that they know what careers in construction mean and this can often be a narrow view of opportunities in the industry. That's why we are offering work placements for people aged between 16-24 years and living in Ceredigion who are keen to experience what it would really be like to work in the construction sector and hopefully it will open doors to long term, sustainable careers in the region.”
The team is currently working with a range of employers who will be providing opportunities for participants to work on a construction site learning what a carpenter, bricklayer or electrician does or shadowing an architectural technologist or construction manager in their day-to-day work.
Anthony Rees, Regional Manager for Cyfle Building Skills Ltd, said:
“We are very happy to support young people with practical work experience opportunities in Ceredigion. Creating new careers for the next generation.”
Inspire to Build is the result of workshops conducted by Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales as part of its innovation labs which highlighted the challenges of inspiring and recruiting a diverse workforce to construction. Participants in those workshops also noted regional disparities, and a lack of understanding and awareness amongst potential sector members of the varied sub-sectors within and related to construction and the built environment.
Siobhan Maderson, Innovation Manager for Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales, said:
“This project has been enthusiastically supported by Ceredigion County Council, and has the potential to serve as a strong, policy-facing example of how to improve and deliver quality, integrated training opportunities for learners and new entrants to the sector. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be actively recruiting work experience candidates from a broad range of academic and educational and professional backgrounds, to ensure as much diversity within the cohort as possible.”
