Lewisham have backed two successful bids for the Mayor’s Construction Academy, in a move which will help local residents access high quality training and employment opportunities as they build the homes that Lewisham’s community needs.
The bids are led by London South Bank University (LSBU) and London South East Education Group (LSEEG). Each one will build on the work of the Lewisham Construction Hub, a partnership between us and Lewisham College which helps local people access training in the sector.
For the LSBU bid Lewisham will be working alongside Lambeth and Southwark. Their role will be in:
- governance at a strategic level
- delivering training through the Lewisham Construction Hub.
What is the Mayor’s Construction Academy?
In his manifesto, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, pledged to ‘establish a construction academy scheme with the housebuilding industry, to close the gap between our ambitious housing targets and the need for more skilled construction workers in London.’
The two successful bids will give residents access to training in modern methods of construction, offsite manufacturing and confined space developments. Training will also be available towards professional roles such as property management, quantity surveying and engineering through access to higher level qualifications.
The Mayor’s Construction Academy will have a focus on helping under-represented groups – including women and people from BAME communities – to build a career in the sector. There will also be support for offenders or ex-offenders to access training and employment opportunities to get their lives back on track.
Councillor Joe Dromey, Cabinet Member for Finance, Skills and Jobs, said, ‘This is fantastic news for our community. London faces a chronic and growing housing crisis, and the construction sector in the capital faces a severe skills shortage.
‘We are working with the mayor of London to build the homes that our community needs, including 1,000 social homes by 2022. The Mayor’s Construction Academy will help address the construction skills crisis, and just as importantly, it will ensure that local people can access high quality training and employment opportunities.
‘The Lewisham Construction Hub and Lewisham College will be part of the network, and our residents will have access to a wide range of training opportunities, not just in this borough, but across six others.’