WMCA Funds New Online Courses

A programme, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to give local people the skills they need to start a career in construction has moved online for the first time, in order to continue training during the current shutdown.

Working in partnership with Birmingham based training provider, RMF Construction Training Academy, the two organisations have created a range of new courses in virtual classes which will be taken by experienced tutors, in an innovative pilot scheme for the Construction Gateway programme.

The Construction Gateway provides unemployed people a free, hands-on introduction to construction skills – participants will be provided with the ‘tickets’ and qualifications they need to be site-ready for work – and, most crucially, this guarantees them a job interview on completion of the course.

The online classes which started at the beginning of April have enabled candidates throughout the West Midlands access construction training, including and industry-specific Level 1 heath and safety, along with plant machinery training on dumper trucks, ride-on rollers and excavators, all from their own homes.

The courses include drone-captured video demonstrations and a mix of group and one-to-one sessions, and each candidate will benefit from one-to-one support for any additional help they might need. Those who take part in the course will also be able to gain qualifications in essential work on any site, including the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, and more in-depth courses including Cities and Guilds accredited Level 2 NVQ in rail engineering track maintenance.

Groups of up to 12 will be able to take part in the online courses, each course will vary in length, and will run from three days to 10 weeks, dependent on the course and each learner’s previous experience, more than 50 people have already signed up.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands said: “We know this is a difficult time for the region, but when we emerge from lockdown, we will still have the skills shortages in key sectors including construction.

“And there are job vacancies now in the infrastructure sector, which means some people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 have an opportunity for a new start in construction.

“Its brilliant news that we’ve been able to set up online training, in a sector where this might not seem possible, through this new scheme that we’ve developed in partnership with RMF Construction Training Academy.”

The online training also comes at a time where many new technological developments, including GPS machine controls, are entering the construction industry. RMF intend to continue to deliver digital courses to give the construction workforce the skills it needs to adapt to the new ways of working.

Dara McCarthy, Operations Manger at RMF Construction Training Academy added: “We are proud to be working with the WMCA to enable local people to continue to learn construction skills during these challenging times.

“We have filmed a series of video tutorials for our trainers to deliver digitally, and each candidate will be assigned an advisor who will assess their experience and develop a training plan.

“An additional benefit of online sessions is that candidates will be able to screenshot demonstrations on their phone and watch these as often as hey need to, which is a good way of learning.”

After the course is completed, learners are supported on their journey to work through the National Career Service for as long as they need, regardless of whether their first interview was a success.

To sign up for online construction training or for more information about the courses, watch this video here, call 07568 750759, email Lauren.m@rmfrs.co.uk or visit www.rmfconstruction.co.uk

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