Date of article: 06/09/2007
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A plan to help young people find work in the construction has been launched in Glasgow.
Glasgow City Council has revealed work is to start on Scotland's first Skills Academy to train them for work in the construction industry. The project will take £1m to launch on the site of the former St John's Primary School in Laurieston on the South Side.
Work is due to start in the next four weeks and the academy is expected to open early next year. When fully operational there will be capacity for up to 400 trainees a year between the academy and work experience placements.
Skills academies were a pet project of the previous Executive but won't be funded under the new SNP government. However, that hasn't deterred council leader Steven Purcell who is confident the city's £1m investment will be topped up by grants from other agencies and cash from employers ensuring it is fully resourced.
He said: "We believe this will be an employer-led skills academy that would improve and develop the skills of local people so they can enjoy and underpin Glasgow's current success and drive its economic growth."
The academy will target the thousands of people not in employment, education or training but particularly those in the 18-24 age bracket. Unemployment claimants among 18-24 year olds fell just 1% in Glasgow last year, against 5% across Scotland.
The academy will also develop initiatives to help female lone parents and adult apprentices and schemes aimed specifically at those on benefit and disadvantaged groups.
City officials have already opened discussions with firms, including BAE Systems, City Holdings, New City Vision and Dawn Developments asking for their support and if they would use labour from the academy. They say the initial response has been encouraging.
City Building is also working on a voluntary employment agreement where all contractors working for it would be expected to employ 5% of their workforce through the academy.
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