The Calico Group is on target to exceed nationally-recognised standards for employment and skills training in construction, creating more than a dozen new jobs and 18 work placements for local people by April 2020.
These opportunities are as a result of The Calico Group’s ongoing investment in the local area, with £12 million worth of new build properties and refurbishment works being delivered in Padiham, Brunshaw and South West Burnley to date.
The Calico Group’s targets to deliver against The National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) status will ensure that money invested in local developments also creates skills, training and employment opportunities, maximising the employment benefits of construction works for each local community.
The Calico Group is currently on track to exceed them all, having so far hosted more than ten careers events throughout East Lancashire, spent 76 weeks training on site, created 4 jobs and 3 work experience placements through construction works already.
The outcomes have included three young apprentices going on to gain permanent employment, the Group engaging with more than 2,000 young people in Burnley and surrounding areas and upskilling people from their external services such as the homeless provision Gateway and the Syrian Refugee Project.
The Calico Group is also continuously delivering a wide selection of community activities such as holiday clubs, careers advice sessions in local high schools and CSCS and H&S courses, alongside informative workshops in primary schools with drama-based training company AFTA Thought to promote careers in construction and development.
Sam Howarth, Head of Social Enterprise at The Calico Group, said,
“For some time there has been a belief that construction costs were too high and margins too tight to really commit to delivering real jobs and opportunities for Burnley people, even though there continues to be massive investment in the town. We’re changing that perception.
“We have an approach that clearly works; we’ve seen that it’s benefiting other areas across the North West. That’s why The Calico Group has really come together to show that it can also make a massive difference in Burnley too.
“We’re proud to be the first housing company to adopt the standards, and hope it sets an example that others can follow.”
The Calico Group intends to publish an annual report of employment and training outcomes achieved through construction, following its first year of NASfC accreditation.
