Lambeth College – The Careers College has announced that one of the country’s biggest construction companies, Carillion plc, in collaboration with Arlington Real Estate, has been chosen as the partner for a scheme to redevelop its Vauxhall site. The ambitious plans will create a new, modern facility, which will be known as the ‘Nine Elms Skills Centre’ The new facility will become a world-class specialist skills centre with a focus on construction, hospitality and science to create thousands of career and learning opportunities for young people.
The expected development value of the project will be in excess of £100 million and it will be supported by funding from the Mayor, approved by the London Enterprise Partnership, of up to £22.5million.
It will replace the current, tired 1960s buildings, which are no longer fit for purpose in meeting employers’ needs. The scheme will align to the skills and employment priorities in Lambeth, South London and the Nine Elms regeneration area.
The redevelopment project will also allow employers to have direct involvement in curriculum design and delivery in order to ensure it meets current and future industry needs. The new Skills Centre will also support Science, Dental Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Learners. English & Maths will also be embedded in vocational provision and Learners with Learning Disabilities or Difficulties will benefit from supported learning in a real work environment.
The development will enable the creation of the new Construction Skills Academy with Carillion plc, which will address major industry skills shortages in domestic and commercial construction. It will allow learners to develop higher-level skills in the widest possible range of construction skill areas, providing progression to employment and apprenticeships. The Construction Academy will function as a professional institution, where all training will be commensurate with current standards and practices within the Construction Industry. The Construction Skills Academy will introduce Learners to a real work environment, so they emerge ‘work ready’.
Carillion plc will also engage its supply chains, SMEs and the wider construction industry to promote and encourage their staff to train at the Construction Skills Academy. Carillion plc will also take every opportunity to recruit its staff from the trained learners that have graduated from the Academy.
It is estimated that over the course of five years the construction side of the development will lead to approximately 3,000 Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeships, 1,400 new jobs and 75 work placements. It will also give an outstanding opportunity to create employer-facing training with Carillion, one of the country’s biggest and most experienced providers of construction training.
In addition the development will contain a newly-built four star training hotel, and lead to a landmark deal that will be the first-of-its-kind arrangement between a hotel group and College of Further Education in London. The hotel will provide a ‘realistic work environment’ for Lambeth College Learners and will be run by a hotel group as a commercially viable operation. Learners will undertake real, industry standard training and work experience. The investment in this flagship scheme will provide Learners with direct routes to sustainable employment, apprenticeships and higher-level progression opportunities in the hotel sector.
For the hotel industry training it is anticipated that over 5 years it will create approximately 500 Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeships, 750 work placements and around 800 new jobs. The four star training hotel will have 184 rooms and conference facility for a capacity of 250 people. It will also offer a clear commitment to training in the industry and expansion with provision of European and International internships.
This announcement means that all three of Lambeth College’s Centres will have undergone rebuilding and refurbishment in the past few years. The Clapham Centre underwent a rebuild which was completed in 2015 and now work to create a brand-new Brixton Centre is under construction and will open in 2017. This latest development will see Lambeth College complete its estates strategy to see all learners and staff accommodated in modern fit-for-purpose facilities.
Vauxhall Skills Centre represents a £44m investment in Lambeth College’s education infrastructure and will see the complete regeneration of current Vauxhall site. It will act as the catalyst for a major on-site enabling development comprising of new homes, a training hotel, creating jobs and leveraging over £80m in private sector investment.
Mark Silverman, Principal and Chief Executive of Lambeth College said:
“I am delighted to announce our plans to rebuild the Skills Centre on our existing Lambeth College Vauxhall site. When it is complete it will be a world class skills centre, offering a four star ‘training’ hotel and a new Construction Skills Academy.”
“This will be a real benefit for learners, employers and the local community, helping them to get valuable industry standard work experience and apprenticeships that will help them in their future careers. The skills centre will also help local people into work therefore fulfilling the college’s aspiration to be London’s careers college.”
Simon Eastwood, Development director at Carillion plc, said:
“We are proud to be selected as preferred bidder for this transformational project. Lambeth College is demonstrating the most advanced thinking in the UK Further Education sector by pioneering ways of working with employers to deliver the skills training that will lead to long-term sustainable employment. It is a vital, ambitious and innovative part of delivering the masterplan for the Nine Elms area of London by renewing old buildings and generating the resources needed for long term learning agreements.
Chris James, Enterprise Manager for Carillion Training Services said:
“Construction is a major sector of the UK economy that represents around 7% of our GDP, employs nearly three million people, the equivalent of 10% of UK employment, and it generates around £90 billion annually. However, construction is also facing its biggest skills shortage for a generation and in particular, a lack of skilled young workers – which is one of the biggest challenges the industry faces and something also identified by the Government’s Construction 2025 strategy.”
“This exciting new partnership between Lambeth College and Carillion will establish a construction training academy as part of a pan London solution and be key to addressing the skills shortage in London and the South East.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said:
“As a global city attracting the very best talent, it’s only right Londoners have world-class facilities to ensure they are prepared to compete for the thousands of new jobs being created in business, tech, media and construction. I am pleased to be able to support our colleges as they prepare the next generation who will further London’s position as the best big city in the world.”
Councillor Jack Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Growth, said:
“This is a huge boost for the borough as we focus on getting young people the skills they need to get a good career, and in turn to secure their futures.
“We know there’s a skills gap in the jobs market, so this is essential in making sure young people’s education and training puts them in the best possible position to land the job opportunities that are available.”
