The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) has become one of the first Mayor’s Construction Academy (MCA) hubs

Jules Pipe CBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, launched the hubs at City Hall on 25 January, which was attended by CONEL Interim Principal Kurt Hintz, Assistant Principal Marcia Summers and Glen Lambert, Head of School for Construction.

The MCA hub programme will see a £300,000 investment in construction training at the College, which has centres in Tottenham and Enfield.

CONEL was backed in its application by many leading construction employers, training providers and local authorities, including Kier, MIT, Sir Robert McAlpine, The institute of Concrete Technology, Middlesex University, Evolve Apprentices, Women into Construction as well as Haringey, Enfield and Camden Councils.

Mahroof Anwar, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Kier, said: “We look forward to a close working relationship with the hub to ensure a skilled construction workforce is sustained for London, and working closely with hub partners to provide sustained training and employment opportunities.”

Raman Mangabhai, President of The Institute of Concrete Technology, said: “We are committed to working with the College and its partners to ensure more Londoners train in the skills they need to access construction related vacancies.”

Mark Booth, Employment Services Delivery Manager at Camden Council, said: “Delivering a skilled construction workforce is a priority for Camden, and we look forward to working closely with CONEL to provide employment opportunities for local people.”

The MCA programme aims to:

• Boost the number of skilled workers and opportunities in construction, particularly for women and those from black and ethnic minorities.
• Provide more high-quality training and initiatives across the capital to give Londoners the skills needed to enter and progress in construction.
• Increase collaboration in the sector, particularly between small and medium sized businesses and construction skills training providers.
• Support the development of training provision for the construction of more prefabricated housing in London.

The theme of CONEL’s hub is Building Services and will primarily focus on mechanical and electrical training along with building information modelling, building management systems, prefabricated manufacture, quantity surveying and construction, and site administration.

This will add to the College’s apprenticeship provision and range of construction courses in brickwork, carpentry, plumbing and electrical installation, which are free to 16 to 18s and for adults up to Level 2.

The College also offers a wide range of free short courses, and recently launched a series of Women Into Construction courses following the success of the MCA hub bid.

Assistant Principal Marcia Summers said: “We are excited to be named among the Mayor of London’s first construction hubs. It is a real testament to the exceptional training we already provide at CONEL and our reputation in the industry.

“We have already made a start in offering short construction courses specifically for women. It is our hope many of them will progress to mainstream courses and gain professional qualifications within the construction industry.

“The MCA scheme also enables us to work with a much wider range of construction employers and offer more training provision to meet their demands and address the shortage of skilled construction workers in London.”

Call 020 8442 3055 or click here for more information on Construction courses at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL).

We’re offering FREE Construction courses up to Level 2. Click here to find out more.