Leading the way with Women only construction skills programme

Countryside Partnerships, part of the Vistry Group, has partnered with training provider Train 4 All to deliver a women’s only Pathway to Site programme at their Skills Academy in Plymouth.

The Academy in North Prospect, Plymouth supported by Plymouth Community Homes is an innovative programme designed to combat the nationwide skills shortage affecting the construction industry. To date the academy has seen 58 learners successfully complete 29, resulting in 16 apprenticeships & 8 jobs created.

Driven by local demand, a women’s only programme was launched in January 2023 to provide a much-needed opportunity for 5 local women to gain experience on a ‘live’ construction site, enabling them to gain the skills and confidence needed to consider a career in construction.  

The Skills Academy is a fantastic way to upskill local people and to support them into employment, enabling communities to prosper and thrive long term, providing a catalyst for economic growth.

Learners are initially based in an on-site classroom studying construction theory and completing practical demonstrations before spending time with Partnerships’ sub-contractors to further develop their practical skills through work experience placements and site visits.

In addition, all students who complete the course will be equipped with a CSCS H&S card which allows them to work on a construction site for five years. 

Neil Cochrane from Train 4 All, who is overseeing the intake of students and their training, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for local women in the community to gain employment in a sector close to where they live. It has been a pleasure helping this cohort through their journey of learning new skills and helping them into employment into the construction industry.”

Countryside Partnerships South West Managing Director, Peter Sadler, said: “Due to the well-publicised skills shortage within the sector, I am delighted that we have been able to diversify our Skills and Employment offering to cater for the needs of local people wanting to explore a career in construction.”

“Our industry offers such a wide variety of rewarding careers, and we want more people to have an opportunity to experience them first-hand. We are passionate about creating sustainable communities as well as addressing the industry skills shortage and our Skills Academies are the ideal platform to do so.”