Work has commenced on South Wales’ only comprehensive scaffolding training facility. Led by the Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) in partnership with Construction Industry Training Board Wales (CITB), the new centre will be located at a purpose developed facility on Fabian Way in Swansea Bay.
The new facility means that students based in Wales wishing to gain extensive scaffolding training will no longer have to travel to England or beyond to acquire a full set of skills.
[aoa id=”1″]The Building is currently undergoing approximately a £1.5million refurbishment to create an Access Hall of 2,000 m2 including classroom and IT facilities. The Access Hall will be the only Construction Industry Scaffolding Record Scheme (CISRS) approved facility in South Wales delivering the full range of working at height training to new entrants, apprentices, up-skillers, supervisors and inspectors. [/aoa]
Under the guidance of a leading UK scaffolding training company, the existing building is currently being refurbished to CISRS requirements and has an internal floor area of around 2,000 square meters comprising nine training bays and three dedicated classrooms, one with IT facilities.
In addition, CWIC is seeking to work with National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) members to provide further guidance and direction in meeting the training and development needs of the scaffolding industry in Wales.
Gerald Naylor, Director of CWIC, based at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s IQ building in SA1 Swansea Waterfront said “Currently anyone in Wales wanting to access the full range of training that CWIC and CITB will be delivering within the Access Hall has to travel outside of Wales to do so.
“There is a huge demand for these programmes and we’re delighted that work is underway on this new centre which will be open at the end of the summer. We have worked with a range of partners to realise our ambition for this facility which enhances CWIC’s offer to the construction industry in Wales and ensures that employers in the sector can access professional qualifications and accreditation closer to home”.
Mark Bodger, CITB Wales Strategic Partnership Director said: “The new scaffolding facility is a great example of how CITB’s investment in CWIC is making a difference to learners and employers. For too long our students have had to travel beyond Wales to find comprehensive scaffolding training.
“CWIC and CITB have listened to industry and invested in these critical skills needs. The new facility will increase the number of scaffolding learners in Wales and provide a platform of opportunity from which students can launch fulfilling, rewarding construction careers.”
Barry Liles, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Skills and Lifelong Learning at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) said: “The development of this new facility will have a significant impact on up-skilling workers within the scaffolding industry.
“CWIC’s activities are already supporting employers in the construction industry across Wales. Our partnership with CITB is delivering world-class training and bespoke programmes for this hugely important sector to the Welsh economy. Access to such facilities and expertise through CWIC gives employers the confidence to develop their employees and to recruit new entrants into the industry”.
The addition of the scaffolding training centre to the Construction Wales Innovation Centre offer will allow CWIC to build upon the delivery of their immensely successful training courses and programmes which have spanned the past 3 years.
This period has seen the delivery of nearly 400 activities across Wales, supporting 674 Welsh employers and upskilling over 3,000 construction industry staff. CWIC will build upon this initial programme by continuing to support the industry through the provision of innovative and industry leading courses led from its Swansea based Hub, and delivered across Wales through its extensive spoke and partner network.
