01 Explore

Construction Skills

What Is It?

Working with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) we continue to invest in the local skills pipeline and training provision; addressing shortages, future needs and enabling greater quality homes and accelerated delivery by developing a highly skilled workforce.

What Are We Doing?

Skills evidence base, report and labour forecasting
Expanding outreach and employer engagement
Comprehensive secondary school outreach programme
Construction sector awareness marketing and information campaign to breakdown misconceptions and promote breadth of opportunity
Influencing curriculum and educational provision including:
- Supporting the development and provision of Town Planning Degree Apprenticeships
- Promoting and supporting Design, Engineer and Construct qualifications in schools
- Investing in future skills provision to support green energy, high quality house design and modern methods of construction, including retrofit skills as Essex County Council look to decarbonise their own estate, and encourage an increase in the various skills that feed into retrofit across the county.
Supporting the bidding for external funding to support the sector including:
- European Funds for an ‘innovation hub’ located in Essex, supporting the SELEP
- Construction Skills Fund, for on-site training hubs
Supporting and enabling adult entrants by providing pop-up shops to inform those not in education, employment or training and career changers; investing in VR to upskill offenders; enabling Building Heroes to support ex-military servicepersons.
Working with our FE sector to address tutor shortages
Acting as gateway for the National Kickstart* scheme and a broker for the Apprenticeship Levy**.

*Kickstart is a national scheme to support businesses help access training focusing on getting young people into employment with a 6 month fully funded work placement. Essex CC is acting as a gateway where employers can come to them to access the support. Any employers interested in the scheme should contact the County at: kickstartessex@essex.gov.uk

**For the apprenticeship levy, Essex CC are working with a number of employers who are looking to receive or gift / share some of their levy, making it simpler for employers. For further information please go to the Levy transfer site: http://www.essexalts.co.uk.