Londoneast-uk and Barking & Dagenham College are collaborating to launch a new construction industry training programme for students revolving around live work experience at Londoneast-uk Business and Technical Park.

The strategic alliance between Londoneast-uk and the College will focus on developing student and apprentice training and work opportunities. It follows a successful pilot project in the summer when students, working alongside industry professionals, assisted on the refurbishment of a meeting space and kitchens at the Park.

The new partnership will see the Londoneast-uk location at Rainham Road South, Dagenham, host a live construction industry training programme where students will develop their skills including painting and decorating, carpentry, plumbing, plastering and dry lining, electrical installation and landscaping.

Londoneast-uk consists of 17 acres of manufacturing, laboratory, research buildings, offices and vacant land which it purchased last year from global pharmaceutical company Sanofi. The location is now being transformed into a multi-occupancy business and technical park to allow other science-related companies to access the highly specialised facilities.

John Lewis, Managing Director of Londoneast-uk, says: “Over the next few years many businesses will be relocating to Londoneast-uk either to move into existing buildings which can be refurbished to bespoke requirements or into new buildings that can be developed on our site. It means there will be a great deal of building work being undertaken here which offers a marvellous opportunity for students and apprentices at Barking & Dagenham College to develop their construction skills, working alongside seasoned professionals.”

Londoneast-uk will offer Barking & Dagenham College the opportunity to tender for a variety of work packages covering construction and landscaping, forming a customised skills training programme.

Mr Lewis adds: “This programme will offer real work experience opportunities, drawing on the expertise of Londonast-uk and Barking & Dagenham College that will prepare construction trainees for the real world of work improving their employability factor.”

The College will lead the programme coordination, in conjunction with Londoneast-uk, and will take responsibility for supervision, training, salaries, health and safety of its staff who will all be based at the Park and report to a Project Manager.

Yvonne Kelly, Chief Operating Officer at Barking & Dagenham College, says the summer pilot project involved students studying for the CITB Construction Skills Diploma in Painting and Decorating at Levels 1 or 2.

On the new collaboration between the college and Londoneast-uk Ms Kelly says: “Creating real work opportunities to complement students’ training has been part of our ethos for years now. This latest innovative partnership will create a pipeline of projects through which construction trainees can develop the skills that employers demand. With London’s booming construction sector facing a skills shortage, Barking & Dagenham College is at the forefront of new training solutions which will benefit local people.”

 

About Londoneast-uk

Londoneast-uk Business and Technical Park is situated in Dagenham, east London, and is located in state-of-the-art scientific buildings and land which was once a major manufacturing plant of global pharmaceutical company Sanofi.

 

Now under the ownership of SOG Group – owner and operator of the award-winning Heath Business and Technical Park in Cheshire –highly specialised research & development and manufacturing buildings, which would cost tens of millions of pounds to replicate in today’s market, have been rebranded under the banner of Londoneast-uk and are being transformed into a business and technical park to service London and the Home Counties Londoneast-uk operates as a sister park to The Heath in Runcorn which is regarded as one of the UK’s leading independently-owned technology parks. For more information visit: www.londoneast-uk.com

 

About Barking & Dagenham College

Barking & Dagenham College offers higher level technical and professional training that prepares people for work or for university. Operating from five specialist sites, with industry-standard facilities and real-work training environments, the College welcomes all age groups. The College has an established Higher Education (degree and post-graduate) programme. Barking & Dagenham College is one of the leading providers of intermediate, advanced and higher apprenticeship training in London, working with around 300 employer clients each year. The College is also the UK’s only authorised Siemens partner for the delivery of the Siemens Mechatronic Systems Certification Programme (SMSCP).

 

The College has won a number of national awards including: NACUE’s (National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs) Enterprising College of the Year 2015, and three TES Further Education Awards. In addition, it is also home to the VQ Teacher of the Year 2015. With 12,500 students and an annual turnover of £39 million, the College has been praised by Ofsted for its outstanding support for students, its outstanding leadership and management, and its excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2015 the College became a Digital & Creative Industries Career College – further information can be found at www.careercolleges.org.uk . More information can be found at www.bdc.ac.uk