Housing provider Riverside, developer Esh Living and Carlisle City Council have teamed up with Carlisle College to deliver job training opportunities in construction for local students.
Training will take place at the new development on Beverley Rise which will deliver 50 affordable homes. It will be managed by Riverside subsidiary Impact Housing after they were chosen by Carlisle City Council to be their preferred housing delivery partner.
The partnership aims to help upskill local young people by providing practical onsite training opportunities for students and apprentices whilst also helping to deliver new affordable homes.
The students will gain experience in painting, decorating, plastering, bricklaying, joinery, plumbing and electrics. The project will deliver nine-week placements starting in September 2019 for four students. It will also support upskilling of existing apprentices through shadowing placements on site. While media students will also be recording progress on site and the experiences of those involved in the project as a further skills development piece. Esh Living is also set to deliver a safety presentation and STEM workshop to local primary school children.
Friday (12 July) marked a key milestone in the build and one of the students, Hannah Camm, was on site to lay bricks at one of the first homes being constructed.
Hannah said: “The Beverley Rise project provides a great opportunity to further develop the skills that I have been learning at Carlisle College and I am really looking forward to getting involved. My involvement also provides the opportunity to showcase the role of females in the construction industry, which is something that I am passionate about.”
Marking the occasion, Riverside, Esh Living, Impact Housing and Carlisle College representatives were joined by John Stevenson MP, Leader of Carlisle City Council Cllr John Mallinson, and Cllr Paul Nedved, Portfolio holder for Economy, Enterprise and Housing.
Riverside’s Regional Director Sarah Paton said: “It’s fantastic to be part of this initiative which will help local students gain practical experience. It will give them the skills and confidence to find work in the construction industry.
“We’re also delighted to be meeting the pledge we made to Impact Housing when they joined Riverside last year as they will manage these much-needed affordable homes when they’re complete.”
Gary Dobson, Divisional Director at Esh Living said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to deliver another great scheme on behalf of Riverside which is a fantastic investment for the local area.
“Esh Living is passionate about providing high-quality, meaningful engagement in the communities and schools across the areas where we operate and we have a dedicated Social Value team committed to delivering a range of national award-winning programmes.
“As a contractor, Social Value is paramount — those who use the buildings, houses and infrastructure we construct are as important as the schemes themselves.”
John Stevenson MP added: “I am pleased that Carlisle will be getting 50 additional affordable homes, at this new development site on Beverley Rise. The Government’s Affordable Homes Programme has allocated over £9 billion in funding, meaning that 250,000 more affordable homes will be delivered across the UK by 2022.
“I am very supportive of the on-site training, which will be an excellent opportunity for students to develop their skills and to gain future employment in the local area.”
Cllr Paul Nedved, Portfolio holder for Economy, Enterprise and Housing, said: “We are delighted to have initiated the ‘Demonstration Project’ by making the Beverley Rise site available. The development has the dual benefits of delivering 50 new family homes for affordable rent – in an area where a lot of family housing has been sold through Right to Buy – while simultaneously providing practical onsite training opportunities to students and apprentices from Carlisle College.”
