Wates Wales People Development Award – Highly Commended

As a result of the increasing skills shortage, the construction industry lacks sufficient skilled labour to meet its ambitious growth plans so at Wates, the focus on training in communities is vital to their success. Through working in partnership with customers and suppliers, their practical programmes are designed to improve skills and employability in communities of most need and to encourage young people to consider a career in construction. They also want to widen the pool of available talent, creating new opportunities for women, minority groups, young offenders and mature adults in Wales through a number of programmes:

Building Futures programme helps adults who face barriers to employment. They provide not only training and workplace skills but guarantee participants a job interview with Wates or one of their supply chain partners.

Wates is supporting the new Construction and the Built Environment (CBE) Diploma through the creation of a £100,000 self-funded website www.cbelearning.co.uk which is an online resource for teachers and students to improve career prospects within the construction industry. 

Wates has been working closely with Business in the Community (BITC) to raise the aspirations and attainment of school children and teachers in disadvantaged communities in order to improve employability post-education. Three members of WLS are embarking on a 12 week mentoring programme supporting students and teachers at Ruabon High School near Wrexham.

In partnership with Career Wales, Wates Living Space has been undertaking a number of school visits in order to educate pupils on the construction industry and the range of careers available.

Site visits: Providing students with the opportunity to see the inner workings of a construction site has also proved hugely successful in boosting local skills and improving the career prospects of young people interested in construction throughout Wales.

At Wates Living Space they reward individuals who go above and beyond their day-to-day role in order to improve the service they offer through their employee of the month champion programme. Their annual Business Excellence Awards also reward project teams and individuals that have made an outstanding contribution or demonstrated best practice throughout the year.

They have recently partnered with Yale College in Wrexham to enable its students to visit their live construction sites in the area. Whilst gaining practical experience in trades like bricklaying and painting and decorating, this also allows students to become accustomed to the daily routine of working on a professional construction site.

Wates also provided a series of career talks, mock interviews and mentoring activities to Elfed High School in Flintshire in partnership with Career Wales in order to advise pupils on the routes into construction and the skills and training required.  Wates have supported Blaenau Gwent County Council and Careers Wales through trade taster days and career talks to promote the construction industry as a future career. In Abertillery they recently held a dry tiling taster session for all the secondary schools in Blaenau Gwent, over 2000 pupils attended the event.

For more than 20 years they have recognised the long-term value of apprenticeships to individuals to construction and the wider economy. Their apprentice training in Wales is closely aligned with their business and customer requirements.

Their Resident Liaison Training Programme is one of the latest training initiatives. The course has been designed and developed in partnership with Construction Skills and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CiH) and they’re the only contractor to have  resident liaison training accredited by the CiH.

Their new structured management development programme is already seeing success with their management trainees. Heulwen Jones, a local employee from North Wales, is one of the many being supported through this two year programme with Wates Living Space.

In 2009 they ran seven Building Futures programmes nationally including one in Merthyr Tydfil. To-date, 195 people have participated and 51% have moved into employment or further training within six months of completing the programme. They’re on target to reach out to 500 participants by 2012. In Wales Wates have committed to running Building Futures in Newport and North Wales in 2010.

Their CBE Learning resource was launched to critical acclaim last year and has already received take up from over 1,500 students, 100 teachers and 30% of all target colleges.

They have recently partnered with Yale College in Wrexham to enable its students to visit their live construction sites in the area. Whilst gaining practical experience in trades like bricklaying and painting and decorating, this also allows students to become accustomed to the daily routine of working on a professional construction site.

Wates also provided a series of career talks, mock interviews and mentoring activities to Elfed High School in Flintshire in partnership with Career Wales in order to advise pupils on the routes into construction and the skills and training required.  Wates have supported Blaenau Gwent County Council and Careers Wales through trade taster days and career talks to promote the construction industry as a future career. In Abertillery they recently held a dry tiling taster session for all the secondary schools in Blaenau Gwent, over 2000 pupils attended the event.