Specialist training centre to help deliver major London construction projects

A new centre for the National Skills Academy for Construction launched on the 27th January 2010 at the National Construction College East London campus at Beckton Park in Newham, to provide hundreds of training opportunities. The new Construction Plant Training School will help Londoners develop the right skills to continue to help deliver the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Further to this, the centres will be delivering tailored skills training for crucial projects including Crossrail and Building Schools for the Future Programmes, providing specialist construction training that is not available anywhere else in the Capital.

The National Skills Academy for Construction Plant Training centre, which was previously located at Eton Manor, will offer 700 training places a year in much sought after Plant Operator occupational areas and a range of Construction Operative skills, at its new home at Beckton Park. It is funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the London Development Agency (LDA), JCB and ConstructionSkills. The centre will be managed by, and training will be delivered through, the National Construction College (NCC), which is Europe’s largest construction training provider.

Lord Young of Norwood Green, Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, said: The relocation of the National Skills Academy for Construction Plant Training School to Beckton Park is great news. It will increase training provision in Construction across the whole of London and help people to improve their skills and their employment prospects. Government is committed to helping people to develop the skills and capabilities to find work and build the businesses and industries that will support economic growth.

Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of ConstructionSkills and its training division the National Construction College, said: “We are delighted to be launching this new training centre. We have been working with our delivery partners for some time to ensure that we have found the best location to deliver effective training that will qualify the workforce and offer sustainable employment opportunities. The new Construction Plant Training School at Beckton Park will provide quality training to meet the needs of the industry and the people working within it, complementing our existing sites in the region.”