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Employment and Training
lecture theatre
Lecture theatre with recycled carpet tiles, natural wood seating and Eco Paint finish.
IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT JOB NUMBERS CREATED as a result of Project Taunton will exceed 11,5001, and in the first instance, a significant number of these jobs will require the whole spectrum of construction skills. During the period 2006-2010, 2,000 new construction workers will be required in the County of Somerset as a whole2.

Project Taunton is committed to working with developers to provide a sustainable employment programme; assisting local people (particularly in Taunton’s North and East Wards) to obtain the training they need to secure the jobs in the short term and to improving their future employment  pportunities.

Developers will be expected to:

  • ensure local residents and businesses are given employment priority and access to training.
  • cascade the employment and training obligation down to contractors and occupiers.
  • work with the local skills partnership, including representatives from the Regional Development Agency, Learning & Skills Council, local government and Job Centre Plus, to provide a facility on site for information, advice and training for construction workers.
  • provide Project Taunton and its partners with agreed statistical information relating to on-site employment and training.
  • demonstrate previous experience of participation in similar schemes.
  • provide a detailed embedded proposal at the tender submission stage.

Situated less than a mile away from the regeneration area, Somerset College of Arts and Technology with its DfES designated Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for Construction:Crafts, Professions and Sustainability, will staff an on-site facility providing assessment and training (OSAT) towards the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.

The centrepiece of the College’s CoVE is the Genesis Project, an award winning resource centre designed primarily to promote sustainable construction, but with the overall aim of promoting sustainability in all its forms. The Genesis team will support the developer selection process by scrutinising the design and construction proposals for high level understanding of key sustainability issues including resource and energy efficiency and delivery competency.

As construction proceeds and developers begin negotiations with occupiers, the College has undertaken to co-ordinate multidisciplinary training requirements ranging from IT, administration and customer service to professional development and basic skills.

1Roger Tym 2003

2Experian 2006