We're open! New Earls Court Skills Centre to provide a base for construction and STEAMMM skills in west London

30th November 2023 - Deputy Mayor of London, Jules Pipe has today cut the ribbon on a new Skills Centre at the Earls Court site. Set up by the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC), Places for London (Transport for London’s property company) and The Skills Centre, the new hub will be the focal point for the extensive talent development opportunities generated by the transformation of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre site.

Building on The Skills Centre’s expertise in training skilled workers for the construction industry, the centre has been set up to look to the future of Earls Court and the wider area, supporting individuals across local communities into a range of roles from construction skills in the short term through to climate tech, creative industries and the wider STEAMMM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, media and medicine) network in the longer term.

The Skills Centre will be a key hub for upskilling and education that will contribute to the wider vision to bring the wonder back to Earls Court. With an inspiring new neighbourhood designed for all stages of life, the plan for the site includes delivering a transformative programme of future-focused skills and training, creating more than 12,000 jobs and equipping the next generation of workers with vital skills, particularly across the built environment and the clean and climate tech sectors (which focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental damage from existing technologies, addressing the impacts of global warming and improving the quality of the natural environment).

Highlighting the scale of the opportunity, which will give access to training for thousands of people over the coming years Rob Heasman, Chief Executive at Earls Court Development Company says: “The Skills Centre enables us to take advantage of the immense opportunity we have here at Earls Court. We will be bringing forward a new neighbourhood, generating significant employment opportunities at every level and responding to the pace of change in terms of environmental awareness. From essential skills across construction and the built environment, to the skills we will need to fulfil our ambition to be a hub for clean and climate tech, the Skills Centre will be central to our plan to deliver the transformation of this fantastic site.”

Earls Court is central London’s largest cleared development opportunity. ECDC has a vision ‘to bring the wonder back to Earls Court’ with a masterplan that celebrates nature, and fosters a centre of innovation and skills as a new home for climate and clean tech. This cultural ecosystem for developing

future talent will be delivered across an inspiring and inclusive neighbourhood of around 4,000 homes with zero carbon operational energy.

Rob Heasman continues:

“The Earls Court skills centre demonstrates our long-term commitment to the local community, providing future opportunities to Earls Court as part of a strategy which will include plans for supporting creative talent, bringing innovative climate tech to site and establishing a skills pipeline for the whole of London.”

Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills said: “It’s a pleasure to open the Earls Court Skills Centre. This new hub will become a one-stop shop for future skills development in Earls Court, with thousands of training opportunities offered.

“The Skills Centre will play a vital role in supporting Londoners train in green skills and get into good careers, which is essential as we continue to build a better, fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.”

Graeme Craig, Director and Chief Executive Officer at Places for London, says: “As well as building places that will help the capital grow and thrive, Places for London is developing the rich pool of talent that is needed to enable this to happen. This new skills centre at Earls Court will play a vital role in this by creating a wide range of opportunities for those looking to join a variety of industries, not least property and construction. It builds on our existing range of programmes that has led to more than 5,000 people receiving training since 2020, with more than 2,000 of those already having found employment.”

Jon Howlin, Chief Executive of The Skills Centre says: "We are excited to announce the launch of The Skills Centre at Earls Court in collaboration with The Earls Court Development Company and Places for London. Our mission is to transform lives by bringing local opportunities to residents, contributing not only to the Earls Court development but also fostering a skilled workforce for the broader prosperity of West London.

The new Earls Court facility expands our reach to connect with an even larger community and provide a wider range of training. We are committed to matching skills training to real opportunities with local employers, ensuring that our programs align with the needs of the job market.

The centre is designed to offer a diverse range of training opportunities, including classroom qualifications and hands-on skills training in our on-site yard. Our doors are open to anyone interested in a career in construction and the built environment, those seeking opportunities for job progression and, as the development progresses, a wide range of other exciting career options. Get in touch via our website, or simply reach out to our team at the centre for advice and guidance on how we can help match your skills to local employment opportunities."

Michelle Okai, Trainee Surveyor at Mitie Property Services, took part in a recent employment programme at The Earls Court Skills Centre, run in partnership with Women into Construction, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Kensington & Chelsea Foundation and supported by Ardmore, Bouygues, Durkan, Mitie, Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team, Thames Water, United Living and Walter Lilly.

Michelle said, "I knew I wanted to do something with my degree in statistics, but struggled to find the right role. My sister-in-law knew someone who had completed a course at The Skills Centre and recommended it. I was pretty sceptical, I was worried it was only going to be manual labour, I hadn't really thought about what other roles were part of the Built Environment. During the course I was supported by my project manager, who encouraged me to look beyond admin roles and think about Surveying or finance.

"I'm now a trainee surveyor at Mitie and I like it so much more than I expected. The work is so varied, I can be in the office working on calculations one minute, and climbing scaffolding on-site the next. Now, if I know anyone looking for employment, I recommend The Skills Centre."

Natalia Pirvu, Business Support Manager at Mitie Property Servicesworked with The Skills Centre to provide work experience for learners on programme, and ultimately recruited Michelle.

She said "It's difficult to find good, reliable people with the drive to develop their careers. Programmes like this one are a huge help for businesses like ours, they help us find strong, local candidates to work on our projects and build future communities across London.

"I was astonished at the range of skills and backgrounds the candidates had. The course was brilliant, I was really impressed, and I know Michelle is going to be brilliant too. She's a fantastic addition to the team and we're delighted to have her on board. My only wish is that there were more programmes like this one!'

ENDS

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