Young people from the East Lancashire area who are struggling to find employment within the Construction Industry are now being given an opportunity to improve their prospects and make a better future for themselves, and their families, thanks to the Building Foundations programme.

Building Foundations is a joint initiative run through Calico Enterprise and Vedas Services with funding from the Lancashire Housing Partnership.

The 20 to 26 week intensive course which is run with the support of local colleges is designed to provide training in a range of construction skills; aiming to help people secure a long-term future in the industry which is set to flourish in the area.

Vedas Services offer a mentoring service tailored to individual needs to ensure that trainees are given the support they require to build up to a full time apprenticeship with Building Contractors.

There is widespread support from local Contractors who have pledged to place trainees from the scheme.  Every effort is made to place each trainee with a Contractor to see them through their 2 or 3 year apprenticeship.

The Building Foundations scheme has already successfully seen 60 young people complete the 26 week programme, with 39 individuals finding employment and 21 individuals moving closer to real jobs with real employers.

The programme will continue to run once a year helping a further 20 to 40 new recruits gain employment.

Click here to read the Housing Forum's Demonstration Project Knowledge Capture Report

Click here to read more about the Building Foundations programme (PDF, 223 KB)