Eastbourne Construction Training & Employment Charter

Eastbourne Construction Training & Employment Charter

The Eastbourne Construction Partnership was formed to respond to the economic opportunities offered by the volume of construction work planned locally.  The Training and Employment Charter in particular was drawn up to help secure social and physical regeneration for the sustainable benefit of the local community, by creating and maintaining a highly skilled and motivated workforce.

The Charter is a voluntary code of practice inviting employers to use reasonable endeavours to:

  • Employ local businesses and people
  • Provide opportunities for employee training and development
  • Purchase locally. 

Outline details of initiative

Sector

Applicable across all sectors, public and private

Client

Any client in Borough applying charter as voluntary code of practice.

Scope, value

Any project as part of anticipated £300m investment over 5 years, including £100m privately funded regeneration of town centre and £45m investment to bring stock of Eastbourne Homes up to Decent Homes standard

Project structure

The Charter is administered by the Construction Team within the Borough’s Economic Development Unit

Programme dates

2007-12.

Workforce Development Programme

Target communities

  • Local people targeted for recruitment and training.
  • Young people in education, targeted for a career in construction
  • Existing workforce – training and development.Target skills / abilities to be  developed
  • In construction phase – appropriate skills

Target skills / abilities to be  developed

To reflect training route adopted, eg:

  • Apprenticeship
  • Skills training from basic to advanced levels
  • Technical and management training
  • Accreditation of prior learning for the unemployed

Target numbers to be involved

Clients and contractors are encouraged to agree voluntary targets for:

  • Placing vacancies with JobCentre Plus and Connexions Careers Service
  • Recruitment of a significant number of local people
  • Number of local unemployed offered work
  • Increasing number of employees carrying CSCS card
  • Extending number of employees studying for / achieving NVQs through ONSAT programme

Partners / stakeholders

Eastbourne Borough Council; ConstructionSkills;  Jobcentre Plus.  Support also indicated by: 

Business Link Sussex;  Eastbourne & District Enterprise Agency Ltd (EDEAL);  Eastbourne Education Business Partnership;  Federation of Small Businesses;  a number of contractors.

 

Implementation – approach, methodology

Overall strategy

  •  Launching charter as a voluntary code of practice which invites construction employers:

    • To maximise recruitment and training of local people
    • To use local subcontractors and suppliers

  • Promoting construction as a career in places of education.

  • The charter is aimed at public and private sector employers, developers, procurers, contractors and suppliers.

Coverage in contract terms

Voluntary commitment only via signature of charter to:

  • Training and employee development
  • Recruitment and employment
  • Local procurement
  • Submitting monitoring data.

Measurement

See below

Monitoring, enforcement

  • Initial 1:1 with Council to sign up
  • Ongoing Partnership Meetings and Forums
  • Monitoring report every other month covering specific targets, such as number of apprentices employed, to the Economic Development Unit of EBC every other month
  • Annual individual review with Council.

For further information contact:

Construction
Eastbourne Borough Council
1 Grove Road
Eastbourne
BN21 4TW

T:  01323 415054
www.eastbourne.gov.uk/business/economic-development/construction