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Communities First continue to LIFT local people into employment

Published: 22/11/2016

Following an innovative training programme in conjunction with a construction company, Flintshire Communities First continues its success in finding employment for local people. “Building Futures”, an initiative of construction firm Wates Residential, saw candidates recruited through the Welsh Government’s Communities First and LIFT programme who work with people who face barriers to employment. Eleven local people attended the two week course – eight of them have now secured positions with local companies. The remaining three individuals are continuing to receive support through LIFT and Flintshire Communities First to secure employment. Communities First is heavily involved in the community benefits programme in Flintshire and has excellent links with Wates as well as other businesses in the area. Richard Morgan, who started work with Wates Residential recently, said: “The Building Futures course was really good for me and I managed to get some qualifications I never thought I would. This has meant I can now start this job with Wates and get some experience which will hopefully lead to more opportunities for me in the future. Without this opportunity through LIFT and Communities First, this would never have happened. And they are still there to support which is great.” The training programme comprised construction skills trade sessions, including carpentry and brickwork, as well as CV and interview workshops. Each candidate received a certificate and were awarded a QCF Level 1 Award in Building Crafts and a CSCS registration to help secure future training and work experience on building sites. Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Councillor Derek Butler, said: “Being able to run these kinds of courses with the support of our partners and contractors is vital for Flintshire County Council if we want to continue to build more houses. We need to train our local people so that they can take advantage of local employment opportunities. I’m delighted that this first Building Futures course in Flintshire has been such a success and I look forward to us being able to deliver more courses like this in the future.” Lee Sale, Business Director at Wates Residential, said: “Through its investment in new homes, Flintshire County Council is really setting the standard for major housing investment and a big part of this is the breadth of opportunity it is creating for local people. As the council’s development partner we have been working closely over the past year to identify the ways in which we can positively impact the county and our joint delivery of Building Futures is just one example of our efforts to fulfil this commitment.” Left to right: Wates Residential site manager, Richard Morgan, Jorden Whittaker and Steven Wilkinson