Dr Suresh Gamlath speaking at the University of West London Construction Skills Summit
Dr Suresh Gamlath speaking at the University of West London Construction Skills Summit

West London Construction Skills Summit brings together construction industry and education sector

Intro

The first West London Construction Skills Summit at the University of West London brought together over 30 employers and education experts to address the industry’s skills and employment needs. Attendees included representatives from Berkeley Group, HS2 Ltd, SCS Railways, St George, Flannery, West London Business and West London Chambers of Commerce.

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The event was hosted by UWL’s Dr Suresh Gamlath, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business Development) and Paul Skitt, Chair of the West London Construction Employer Board from Flannery.
Paul said:

We wanted to give an overview of the skills and employment challenges in West London and bring stakeholders together to find solutions.”

Ambrose Quashie, from HS2, speaking at the University of West London Construction Skills Summit

The keynote speaker, Ambrose Quashie, Legacy Manager at HS2 Ltd, highlighted how HS2 will transform travel, creating economic growth, jobs and regeneration.

The construction industry faces an ongoing need for labour and skills, with a requirement to attract workers from outside,”

Ambrose explained.

The industry also aims to increase diversity and the proportion of under-represented groups and address the ageing workforce challenge.

HS2 Ltd has 31,000 people working across the project, helping us design and build the railway line. We aim to create another 2,000 apprenticeships and we are making good progress with this.”

For HS2 Ltd, it is about delivering its workforce requirements in the right way to leave a legacy for local communities, the construction industry and the UK economy. Ambrose explained:

Most people are working for us work across our supply chain. So, it is important that together we deliver on priorities like apprenticeships, opportunities for workless individuals, creating work placements, working with educational institutions for careers support, and upskilling the existing workforce.

It is not just about job numbers though; it is also about the people who benefit and flourish thanks to their new careers,"

Ambrose shared Nusayba Abaas’s story. Nusayba is a UWL student in a Level 6 Engineering apprenticeship at Old Oak Common:

She has been volunteering at the Science Museum on their technicians gallery, delivering content to promote HS2 to students visiting the museum.”

He also highlighted two brothers, Malachi and Elijah Robinson, who chose apprenticeships over university and are now part of a team delivering HS2’s London tunnels project.

Jamel Harri-Nanan, a Level 4 procurement and supply chain apprentice, taken on after losing his job during the pandemic, won the Best Job Outcome in Brent award from Action for Race Equality as part of the Moving on Up Awards, recognising the achievements of young black men in London, while Malachi and Elijah were Highly Commended in the Outstanding Impact category,”

Ambrose added.

Attendees at the University of West London Construction Skills Summit, including Dr Phil Cox

Other speakers at the meeting included Giles Strachan, Employability and Projects Manager at Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges, who discussed further education perspectives. UWL’s Dr Suresh Gamlath outlined the University’s skills and apprenticeship provision, while Dr Phil Cox, Head of the School of Computing and Engineering, shared insights into construction and built environment research.

We work closely with employers and engage with them right from the beginning to ensure they understand how programmes can add value,

Dr Cox said.

We already run some construction and engineering degree apprenticeships and a new sustainable business specialist integrated degree has recently been launched.”

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