A contractor has developed its own skilled workforce and supported London’s economic recovery by honing the next generation of talent in its own training academy.
Launched by specialists in off-site manufacturing, the London Welding Academy opened in January, training welding apprentices at the College of Haringey.
A total of 20 apprentices began their training at the academy in January, enabling them to fill a local skills gap, employ local people and help the manufacturing specialists in completing a growing order book.
The contractor has committed to supporting the academy for five years, providing welding masks, equipment and metal strips to develop apprentices’ skills and conversations are underway on extending the scope of the academy to include joinery and stonemasonry.
The search for training providers began in May 2021 as the contractor returned to an old strategy to grow their own workforce by developing their own internally. Looking locally, Ardmore turned to CONEL and within 230 days of an initial meeting, had launched the academy and began training their own apprentices, who upon completion of their Level 3 welding course, will go to a project to continue, and excel in, their career as highly-skilled very employable, craftspeople.
The course, which is a fast-track full-time scheme, enables the apprentices to gain a qualification that typically takes two-three years within 18 months. All apprentices are now settled on the site working four days a week on practical elements and 1 day in college.
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