Celebrating World Youth Skills Day 2021
World Youth Skills Day was created by the United Nations in 2014 to celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment and entrepreneurship. We are committed to upskilling young people. This is why we’ve teamed up with our construction contractors, local community partners and businesses to ensure the Canada Water development supports local employment, providing young people in Southwark with resources and access to a range of different opportunities.
On World Youth Skills Day 2021, we want to celebrate some of our local community partners which may be of interest to young people in SE16:
1. Big Local Works
Big Local Works was established in 2017 to help improve the lives of local people by preparing for and sustaining them in employment and self-employment. The charity supports entrepreneurship, provides benefits and welfare support, and develops new community initiatives to meet local needs. It helps in three key areas: providing support with benefits and welfare advice; providing employability training; and supporting entrepreneurs to start businesses.
Canada Water have been supporting Big Local Works with a weekly drop – in benefit and welfare support clinic online and digitally which will be re-opening on the 21st July at Thrive Surrey Quays Shopping Centre.
To find out more, visit www.biglocalworks.org.uk
2. Southwark Construction Skills Centre
The Southwark Construction Skills Centre was set up to increase employment and training opportunities in the construction sector for local people in Southwark. It does this by providing on- and off-site training to young people via apprenticeships, courses and employment support – leading to qualifications and accreditations. The centre has recently relocated from Elephant Park to Canada Water to help deliver in SE16.
To find out more, visit www.southwarkconstructionskillscentre.com
3. Construction Youth Trust
The Construction Youth Trust is a charity whose aim is to inspire and enable young people to overcome barriers and discover a career in the construction and built environment sector. It has a series of place-based hubs across London, including Southwark.
Canada Water is a founding partner of a place-based built environment education and training programme with Construction Youth Trust. The partnership works with eight Southwark secondary schools to give students and NEET young people insight into the careers and opportunities available in our sector, with the aim of supporting local young people from a diverse background to access some of the career opportunities that Canada Water will generate.
In the last three years it has given over 7,000 Southwark school students an insight into careers in the built environment, and 106 local young people have been supported into work or further education, including a local sixth form student gaining a higher-level apprenticeship place with our consultant Aecom. We are proud that 82% of participants have been BAME, and over 50% are female.
To find out how to join contact - [email protected] or visit constructionyouth.org.uk/budding-brunels
4. Thrive, Tree Shepherd
THRIVE is a business hub in Surrey Quays Leisure Park that provides low-cost private space for local start-up businesses whose who live in SE16. It is run by Tree Shepherd, a social enterprise that helps people across London reach their full potential and start their own business.
Through five years of local engagement, we found that many local people had ideas for a business or were just starting out. We also recognise the value of locally grown businesses, both to the individuals, and local economy and in creating a vibrant place.
So, we worked with local charity Tree Shepherd to create a low-cost workspace in a disused restaurant, with a programme of free business support and advice to help local people grow. Our teams and suppliers have supported the local businesses through mentoring and improving the space, and the project aims to become self-sustaining with a network of local entrepreneurs to further outreach within their communities.
To find out more visit www.treeshepherd.org.uk. To book a space email [email protected].
5. Us!
We expect over a thousand construction jobs and other roles, including apprenticeships, to be generated by the Canada Water development over the course of its 15-year construction programme – with more upon completion. To make the most of the huge opportunities this presents for young people in SE16, we’ve teamed up with local community partners like those above as well as creating opportunities for apprenticeships, training courses and jobs with our construction partners including Galldris, Kellbray and Mace.
You can find out more and keep up to date here: www.canadawatermasterplan.com/jobs-and-training
Happy World Youth Skills Day!
