Gaining qualifications
More than 1,200 young people have been trained through the Youthbuild programme since it was established in 2003 and more than 80 per cent of participants achieve a qualification – a result that is considerably higher than the national average for such programmes. As a result of this success Accent is now also delivering training programmes on behalf of Bradford College.
More than 150 women have taken part in programmes to develop new skills in construction and business management through Accent’s Women into Construction and Womenbuild schemes.
Baroness Uddin visits a Women into Construction training session
Ehjaz Gull, Director of Regeneration at Accent Group, said: “Our unique selling point is the mentors and our ability to engage and work with disadvantaged groups. Other training providers find it hard to do this but we’ve got a strong track record of getting people from ethnic minorities and women into construction.”
Entering employment
As well as working towards qualifications, individuals taking part in the programme are encouraged to think about their future career aspirations. Youthbuild participant Dawood Hussain said: “Once I have my qualifications as a joiner I am hoping to open my own business with the help of Youthbuild.”
Around 70 local employers are involved in Accent Community Partnerships’ programmes, including Yorkshire Building Society, Abbey, Lloyd’s TSB and construction companies Lovells, Wates and Bullocks. Lovells now finds all of its new employees through Accent projects. Sharon Tryer of Lovells commented: “Because of these projects we can now recruit local people, which is one of the big, key issues for us.”
A number of evaluations have endorsed the programme, with one stating: “it has already contributed to introducing ethnic diversity to an almost wholly white Yorkshire construction industry.”
Topics associated with this project
Community engagement, Education, Housing, Partnership working, Training