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National Highway Announce New Carbon Academy for Lower Thames Crossing
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National Highways have announced their new digital Carbon Academy, as part of their strategy to give local people and businesses the opportunity to work and train on the Lower Thames Crossing.
They aim to provide work for more than 22,000 people during the six-year building phase, ranging from engineers, architects, and designers, to caterers, sign makers and IT support.
In their new Skills, Education and Employment Strategy, they have outlined how this academy will benefit the local community, with the strategy containing objectives such as:
- 45% of employees will be recruited from within 20-miles of the project– leaving a significant skills legacy in local area as well as the broader construction industry
- Thousands of opportunities to raise the skill levels of local people with qualifications, early careers, new work skills, knowledge and training
- All staff will be enrolled in Carbon Academy to futureproof people and businesses to develop the green skills needed to build the Lower Thames Crossing and future projects
- Specialist support for over 1,000 people who were previously unemployed from a disadvantaged or underrepresented group, including guaranteed interviews for groups such as women returning to work and care leavers
- Staff will spend 7,000 hours in local schools with teachers and students
- Championing local businesses, and spending £1 in every £3 of construction budget with SMEs
Matt Palmer, Executive Director for the Lower Thames Crossing, said:
The scale and opportunity presented by the Lower Thames Crossing is huge both during construction and once the road is open. We want local people at the heart of our workforce, and if we’re given the green light to go ahead we are ready to create thousands of opportunities for local people and businesses to futureproof their skills and put them at the forefront of a new green economy.”
Adam Bryan, Chief Executive, South East Local Enterprise Partnership:
“The Lower Thames Crossing represents one of the biggest employment opportunities for our area over the next decade. We are delighted to see the publication of the Skills, Employment and Education Strategy for the Lower Thames Crossing today. This complements our ongoing work with Lower Thames Crossing and key other partners through the South East LEP (SELEP) Major Projects Skills Group which seeks to ensure that local residents and businesses can realise the benefits from the large scale investments planned for our area.
“This project will offer a wide range of job opportunities on site but it is also the indirect jobs in supporting industries and as part of the supply chain that brings a much wider opportunity to our doorstep. We know that we need the right skills to grow our economy and we need to understand the future demand so we can plan now with our schools, colleges and Universities and ensure local people can one day say – I was part of that."
Source: National Highways
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