Construction charity partnership looks to help bridge skills gap

THE Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has teamed up with the Lofty Heights Skills Academy to encourage young NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) people to consider construction careers and provide them with access to wellbeing training.

The charity’s free soft skills training covers topics such as ‘banter vs bullying’, managing stress and understanding anxiety.

Each of the e-learning modules are delivered at two levels with a foundation level providing an introduction to each subject, the key topic areas and an understanding of the language used. The next level presents scenarios where learners need to demonstrate their understanding by applying their new skills and using logical reasoning to engage and master a variety of problems.

The modules offer flexibility, with on demand training at a pace that suits individual needs.

Sarah Bolton, COO of the charity, said, “A career in the construction sector can offer a wide variety of rewarding opportunities, but there is a huge skills gap. One of the ways that we can address this is by working in partnership with organisations such as the Lofty Heights Skills Academy to bridge that gap, and a key aspect of this is to provide easy access to soft skills wellbeing training.

“This is a crucial time for our young NEEP community and helping them to develop effective social and emotional wellbeing skills will support them in their new environments. This collaboration will also ensue that the next generation are well equipped to navigate the daily challenges of life and in turn, they too can help drive change to support a positive wellbeing culture in the industry.

“We are in the unique position of being able to help with every aspect of emotional, physical and financial wellbeing so this also gives us an opportunity to share our many pathways to additional support for our young NEET community, offering 24/7 free and confidential advice and guidance on a huge variety of issues.”

Claire Flowers, education manager at Lofty Heights, added, “We are so pleased to be working with the Lighthouse Charity to provide our NEET young people with the opportunity to complete the bespoke training being offered by them to those wishing to work in construction. This will add value and provide a deeper knowledge on entering the construction industry.”