Local councillors, business leaders, and housing and training experts joined Mears on Tuesday 12 July to officially open our new national Training Academy at New York Stadium in Rotherham.The Training Academy delivers accredited apprenticeships for those starting a career in construction and social housing repairs and maintenance, as well as providing training for those currently working in the industry.It runs courses on plumbing, electrics, roofing, carpentry, joinery, plastering, and painting and decorating for up to 120 people per day.The Rotherham Academy is our national training facility run by our very own training company Mears Learning, which also operates our new training academy in Brentwood, Essex.Graham Eden, Executive Director of Mears, said: “We have opened the Training Academy as part of our ongoing efforts to address skills shortages in the sector. It is estimated that 230,000 new tradespeople will be needed in the UK by 2020.“The main objective of the Training Academy is to support unemployed young people and adults of all ages and sexes to gain skills for employment. It will also include a new business and management school and, in the future, offer purpose-designed courses and services to our clients.”Councillor Dominic Beck, Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing said: “The council is delighted one of our main partners has decided to create its national academy in Rotherham, which will add real value in terms of employment opportunities and further benefits to the local economy.“If we are to meet the requirements for housing in Rotherham, it is essential we have skilled and expert local tradespeople. Giving young people a chance to gain skills will not only help them gain employment, but also help us fill the skills gap to meet the growing demand for affordable housing.”The Training Academy offers:
- Apprenticeship training
- Study programmes for 16-19-year-old NEETs
- Up-skilling courses for operative in all building trades
- Specialist training for gas engineers and electricians
- Health and safety training
- Induction programmes
- Leadership and management development
- And community engagement activities
The facility has three dedicated workshops, classrooms, meeting rooms and IT suite, housed over five floors at New York Stadium, home to Rotherham United Football Club.