Yeovil College evidence Screwfix are investing in trade’s future

Screwfix has teamed up with Yeovil College to start a pilot course looking at construction skills. Aimed at Year 10 and 11 pupils, the objective is to make young people aware about the possibilities of a fruitful future in trade prior to leaving school.

With the well documented construction skills gap, the leading trade retailer’s ‘Construction Trade Academy’ course comes at a pivotal time and is believed to be the first of its kind in this country.

Skills in bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing and electrical contracting are amongst what the 16 students partaking in the course will pick up.

Not only will participants obtain valuable skills, but they will adding to their GCSEs and helping themselves towards achieving an apprenticeship upon leaving school.

With the company’s dedication to aiding the future of construction, it has also invested in a new purpose-built site at the College. The new ‘Screwfix Trade Skills Centre’, will see students benefit from a dedicated space, which will feature two state-of-the-art work training areas, designed to enable Yeovil College to meet the needs of its local and regional industries.

Marketing Director at Screwfix, Graham Smith, commented: “Our trade customers tell us how busy they are but that they also struggle to recruit skilled labourers and don’t always find it easy to hire apprentices.

“The skills shortage facing the construction trades is widely talked about, therefore the partnership with Yeovil College is one of the ways we’re supporting tradespeople and playing a small part in protecting the future skills supply in construction, while demonstrating how interesting and rewarding a career in the trade can be.

Principal at Yeovil College, John Evans, added: “It’s great to have the support of Screwfix for our new construction skills course and purpose-built skills centre. It is important we train young people in the area to ensure there is no local skills gap, and this centre will go some way towards this.

“We believe the new students will learn the foundations for a career in the construction trade and we hope they find the opportunity rewarding.”

Graham (left) and John (right) feature on both photos in this article.