Local young people have been benefiting from work experience on construction sites for the 1,750 council homes we’re creating across the borough.
Any contractor that works with us to build our new social housing must provide additional social value, and this has resulted in hundreds of jobs, training placements, school visits, local area improvements and work experience schemes for people all over Royal Greenwich.
Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Greenwich Builds & Estate Regeneration Councillor Jackie Smith visited a site where school students are learning the skills needed for their future careers, facilitated by contractor Elkins Construction.
Discussion ranged from what the students were learning on site to the effect of artificial intelligence on employment prospects for young people. Tyler, coming to the end of a year's work experience and about to start an apprenticeship in Site Management, said "I've learned so so much, from building plans, planning permission, building codes to how things are conducted, general safety rules, what to look out for on site, the list could go on for hours!".
Jada, a T-Level student currently on a placement with Elkins Construction as a Quantity Surveyor, said "I've been around quite a few sites and have done quite a lot of work on Excel and Elkins' software... I'm enjoying it so far, it's been the best thing as it's allowed me to settle in before I start an apprenticeship".
Councillor Jackie Smith, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Greenwich Builds & Estate Regeneration, said:
“Recent news stories have highlighted the employment crisis facing young people, so it’s fantastic to see how our Greenwich Builds programme is providing a pathway into work for so many school students, all while creating 1,750 council homes for people on our Housing Register.
“Young people need rewarding, meaningful careers, and this is exactly what this training sets them up for. I’ve loved seeing their focus and dedication to learning the skills required to build homes that will benefit our community well into the future.”
The students visited by Councillor Smith are working on several new social housing schemes along Rochester Way, collectively known as The Brooks.
These developments will provide 80 new council homes for local people, as well as £750,000 of improvements to the local area including new public spaces, a transformed play park, retail space and a new road crossing.
So far the Greenwich Builds programme has created 756 new homes, with 505 under construction and more sites in the pipeline. The programme has resulted in £44.5 million worth of additional social value, including jobs and training for 329 people across Royal Greenwich.