IN the heart of Bristol, a new £25 million construction project is underway to turn the former Bristol Post building into student accommodation.
At 11 storeys high,the scheme will see 270 new student bedrooms across three blocks of by July 2017.
And within the project there will be opportunities for dozens of local apprentices to learn their trade on the 120,000-square-foot development.
Steve Welch, project manager for construction firm, Midas, said: “At the peak of the building project, Midas will employ a management team of 15 to 20 people, 30 subcontractors with up to 150 people on-site involved in the construction. What’s great about being involved in a construction project is that you can see the results. You have a sense of pride in your work and of being part of a bigger collective which produces a building to stand for years to come.”
The company say there will be opportunities for budding bricklayers, engineers – both mechanical and electrical – painters, decorators and landscapers to earn.
Current figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) show that total employment in the construction sector across the south west is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.1 per cent ahead of the UK average of 1.1 per cent.
The UK construction industry will need an additional 230,000 workers over the next five years. These future workers are the young people now choosing their GCSE subjects within the county’s schools and colleges.
Midas works closely with schools and colleges to attract new talent into construction, and Steve has made presentations to pupils to encourage young people into the industry.
The company also invites school groups to its sites to meet the team and explore careers as diverse as architecture and carpentry.
Steve said: “Midas has a commitment to invest in the communities that it works in to create a lasting legacy, as a local company that is very important to us. We are developing a plan to target apprenticeships for this project and we will be reaching out to the industry to actively encourage the most committed young people here in the Bristol area to earn as they learn.”