Willmott Dixon is to open a new construction training centre in July at an undisclosed location in Birmingham.
The Willmott Dixon Centre for Skills will provide training for up to 2,000 people a year and will be open to local residents, colleges and community groups as well as Willmott Dixon staff, with courses ranging from one-day programmes to four-year apprenticeships.
Subjects will include technical trade skills, emerging technologies, health and safety, supervisor skills, energy efficiency, IT and CV writing.
The centre will also include community programmes and DIY sessions.
Willmott Dixon is the UK’s second largest construction, regeneration and support services company and employs nearly 1,000 people in Birmingham.
It’s repair and maintenance arm, Willmott Dixon Partnerships, is responsible for the upkeep of 60,000 Birmingham City Council properties and is the main contractor on phase one of Birmingham City University’s new city centre campus.
Group chief executive Rick Willmott will announce the plans for the centre at the firm’s annual ‘Investing in Birmingham’ reception.
Mr Willmott said: “The Centre for Skills will deliver the technical skills we require as a business and will support our commitment to developing skills in the West Midlands.
“Not only will this help provide sustainable employment routes within Willmott Dixon, it will support the Government’s wider skills agenda through training and development and ensuring those entering the industry have the necessary skills and competencies required by employers.
“Training and development is not a light switch that can be turned on and off; 160 years of history has taught us this.
“The construction industry is continuously evolving and as a business we need to be able to adapt to it.”
The centre will provide qualifications such as NVQs and accreditation on the Construction Skills Certification Scheme.
Willmott Dixon will also work with City & Guilds and the British Plumbing Enterprise Council (BPEC), after it became one of the first construction companies approved as a registered BPEC training centre provider.
The centre is backed by the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, the Trade Union Congress learning fund and Action for Employment.
Willmott Dixon is also looking to work with the city council’s employment access team and Jobcentre Plus.
