BBC interviews inspiring women from plant training programme

BBC interviews inspiring women from plant training programme

The Skills Centre has been featured in a recent BBC News article shining a national spotlight on the growing need for skills training across the UK and the vital role training providers play in bridging that gap.

 The national coverage underscores the scale of the challenge facing the sector, with labour shortages continuing to impact the delivery of housing and infrastructure projects across the country. The feature highlights the critical role of training providers in creating accessible pathways into employment and equipping learners with the skills required by industry.

Reporter Meghan Owen visited The Green Plant Academy in The Skills Centre Earls Court to find out more about our new women-only course specialising in heavy machinery training - the first of its kind in London - and spoke to some of the women that are currently training on-site. 

Charlie Lillington, a 39-year-old mother-of-six, explains how she swapped a tractor for a JCB after her nephew, who works as a scaffolder, encouraged her to get into the sector.

The article also features 59-year-old Happy Konete who completed an apprenticeship in framework and shuttering six years ago and has since worked as a carpenter.

The Skill Centre’s Sam Downton highlights initiatives that combine practical training, industry insight and real site experience which are essential in helping people take their first steps into the industry.

He said: "We need to get more women in construction across London and across the UK. We have a responsibility. The industry has a huge skills gap. It's an ageing industry with an ageing workforce.

He added that while "we have broken the back of it in terms of getting people in", if it is only men who stay in construction "it's not enough."

To view the article in full, go to: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyegz5z4yxo