Building Heroes

Building Heroes

Off By Ed Hanna

Building Heroes is dedicated to supporting Armed Forces service leavers, reservists, veterans, and the wider military family. Our programmes operate nationally in 12 locations (with centres in Cheshire, East Midlands, West Midlands, Teesside, Essex, Wiltshire, Hampshire, South West & London) providing us with the capacity to train over 1,000 military personnel a year.

We provide training and employment support into a new career in the construction industry by equipping our beneficiaries with a broad range of trade skills, site experience, and then connecting them with a network of employers. Once graduated from our “gateway” 5-week programme individuals will have achieved: 

  • L1 Construction Skills, Performing Engineering Operations or Groundworks/ Civils 
  • Level 1 Award in Health & Safety 
  • CSCS exam and card 
  • Work experience/site intervention

In addition, we provide a welfare wrapper with personalised support including employability and digital skills, and six months or more engagement beyond the course. It is our goal to provide a seamless transition, equipping individuals with the skills and confidence to start a new career.

Skills Bootcamps 
Building Heroes are in partnership with Learning Curve Group to deliver the Government initiative 12-week Skills Bootcamps.  

Aimed at those who are 19 years old or above, in work, self-employed, recently unemployed or returning to work after a break, a Skills Bootcamp could be the right choice for you. It provides an excellent opportunity to quickly increase your skills in a specific area and fast-track into a new job or get ahead with your current employer.  

The Building Heroes Skills Bootcamp in Construction is a funded Level 3 qualification delivered over a 12-week period and available across 5 regions – the South West, South East, London, East Midlands, and East England. 

Attendance is 2 days per week face to face with your tutor and 2 additional sessions of independent learning. To enter the programme, applicants will need a strong desire to work in the construction sector. 

This fully funded programme will provide learners with the skills and qualification in the Built Environment leading to entry operative roles and leading to Project Management, Site Management and many more. 

Included in the units are online Health and Safety courses, plus career coaching and progression. The learner progression following your Level 3 qualification could be a traineeship, apprenticeship, or new employment opportunity. Our Construction Skills Bootcamps can be adapted in each area to meet employer’s skills demands which are then matched to job vacancies. Skills Bootcamps are a quick and practical route to help you get ahead and secure a better job. They are designed to be flexible and suitable for a wide range of adults and are delivered with local employers who will offer a guaranteed job interview on competition of the course. We will be running further programmes in these regions throughout the coming year. 

3 Reasons Why You Should Consider A Skills Bootcamp! 

  • Skills Bootcamps are a quick route to achieve a level 3 qualification and improve skills and job prospects
  • Skills Bootcamps are delivered with local employers, so you’ll have a job interview when you’ve completed the course. 
  • Skills Bootcamps are designed to be flexible and suitable for a wide range of adults with a choice of virtual or in person training.

Building Heroes Academies – “Our Way Forward” 

To get the best outcomes for our beneficiaries, we are placing Building Heroes Academies at the heart of our development to provide skills and training and employment pathways that include a sustainable and circular economy and follow the Design, Build, Operate phases of a building life cycle. Academies are locally positioned on long term developments, or in a central location which feeds not only one project, but other developments across a region.  An Academy provides training for up to 100 military learners per academic year. 

Academies will deliver a range of qualifications from basic construction skills, groundwork & civils, and plant training, to classroom-based and industry specific skills tickets. The model is set up to be agile and one that can scale according to the size of the developments. It follows the different phases of the project, highlighting the skills and training needed for the different roles to meet the needs of those industry employers.  Building Heroes works with the employers and supply chain to fill their vacancies and provides wrap-around welfare support for the learners throughout the whole process. 

An Academy is set up in partnership with the developer, contractor and local educational establishment and employers. An ideal location will be situated in the heart of a development or close by. 

Academy Locations  

  • Sherford Academy near Plymouth is well underway with the basic construction programme, and we are close to securing a plant training academy in South West.
  • Birmingham Academy in West Midlandslaunched in September, initially at South City College with a move to on site early 2022. 
  • Ibstock Academy in the East Midlands launched in September with partners  Davidsons Homes 
  • Blaydon Academy in Tyne & Wear is set to launch in January 2022 with partners Costain delivering groundworks/civils. 
  • London Academies across various sites with partners Regal London and due to launch early 2022. `
  • Swindon & Wiltshire Academy conjunction with CITB. Plant Machinery Coming Soon. 

Plans are also in place to open our first academy in South Wales shortly, watch this space… 

Building Heroes Property Services
For those wishing to follow a self-employed pathway, Building Heroes Property Service (BHPS) provides a platform to start a second career. As a graduate of Building Heroes or fully trained, vetted ex-military serviceman or woman you can apply to become one of our Building Heroes to forge a successful career in construction and maintaining properties. BHPS is a truly unique service providing customers with skilled tradespeople who are all ex-military servicemen and women. A subsidiary of the Building Heroes Education Foundation, all of the profits go toward reinvesting in the training programme to help the next generation veterans.

For more information and to apply using the link on our website:  

www.buildingheroes.org.uk/course or contact us on 0330 9126200

Editor Notes – Contact Karen Jefford

karenj@buildingheroes.org.uk

0330 9126200