Crawley young people benefit from new town hall project

Kier, Crawley Borough Council’s contractor for the development, has worked with Crawley College and schools in the town to ensure that students benefit from the huge project.

The council’s employment and skills programme outlines how it will work with partners to enable local residents to access better job opportunities and address skills gaps in the local workforce.

Kier’s corporate social value initiatives included:

- Digital workshops – Kier’s senior design manager and lead architect gave lectures on sustainability, offsite and modular solutions, digital technology tools in the construction industry to 87 young people studying carpentry, joinery, plumbing, property maintenance, media and IT

- Open doors events at Crawley College – More than 60 students attended the site across four dates and enjoyed presentations explaining the demolition of parts of the existing Town Hall complex and construction of the new building. Site visits for college students are continuing as the project nears completion

- Graduate and industrial placements – Kier liaised with Crawley College to place students on their placement programme

- Volunteering at West Green Primary School – 28 pupils studying the life of plants were helped by Kier staff, who also supplied hard hats for use as hanging baskets

- STEM in the Park – Kier’s site team and early careers Team attended the Memorial Gardens event in May to demonstrate the breadth of STEM careers in a fun and inspirational environment, experience cutting edge activities and technology and change students’ perceptions about STEM

Employ Crawley apprenticeship fair – Kier’s Site Team and early careers team attended the event at Crawley Library to discuss apprenticeships and career options with local young people.

Regional Director for Kier Construction London, South and Strategic Projects Peter Marshall said: “Making a positive impact and leaving lasting legacies in the communities we work in is at the heart of what we do.

“As a responsible business, we are committed to inspiring the next generation of talent in Crawley, fuelling their enthusiasm and showing what the construction industry has to offer.

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For more information about the council’s Employment and Skills Programme, visit: investcrawley.co.uk/employment-and-skills