Feature Article
King's Cross Construction Skills Centre
The completed Construction Skills Centre on York Way
© John Sturrock
Inside the new Construction Skills Centre
© John Sturrock
A new Construction Skills Centre has been built at King’s Cross Central with the purpose of training local people to work on the site over the next ten to fifteen years. It was designed by David Morley Architects and completed in December 2008.
The new centre on York Way was built by Carillion and replaces the existing, smaller Training Centre on the corner of Wharf Road and York Way.
The new facility will be a centre of excellence for work based learning in construction.
The new Centre will have the facility to train up to 150 Apprentices a year primarily aged between 16 and 18 years old. They will mainly be drawn from the area around King’s Cross and be trained to a high level of competence and professionalism - eventually gaining their NVQ Level 2 qualification.
The centre will be a "one stop" facility where Apprentices will be taught both the theory and practical elements of construction. Trainees will obtain their Construction Skills Certification (CSCS) Scheme Health & Safety qualifications which is now compulsory with most contractors.
Three main courses will be taught, specifically for King’s Cross Central. These include carpentry and joinery, brick-laying and civil engineering (groundworks). In addition to the apprenticeship programme, the Skill Centre will offer a range of bespoke courses that meet the employment needs of the contractors in the area.
King’s Cross Central applied for "Skills Academy Status" for this centre and this prestigious award was granted by Construction Skills.
BAM, Carillion and Kier have agreed to provide work placements and employment opportunities on-site. This model demonstrates a forward thinking approach to meeting training targets, fulfilling skill shortages and reducing unemployment in the local area.
The Construction Skills Centre was built in seven months by Carillion and completed on the target finish date of the 8th December 2008 without any reportable accidents. The building is a 1,400 square metre, two storey structure with workshops on the ground floor and classrooms and the administration area on the upper floor.
Environmental mitigation was incorporated into the building in the form of solar panels on the sloping roof and also a “green roof”. The solar panels will contribute energy to run the lights and appliances and the flat part of the roof has been planted with grasses that help to absorb airborne pollutants and carbon dioxide whilst also giving extra insulation.
The Centre will be run by the London Borough of Camden and Carillion will be the resident training provider.
For further information please call Andrew Conner, the Centre Manager, on: 0207 974 5165
