UWTSD’s Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) is collaborating with South Wales-based Alpha Safety to deliver training at its new £1.5m Scaffolding Academy in Swansea and Cardiff.

(Left to right) : Rhian Chilcott-Gleaves, Scaffolding Academy Manager, Paul Jones, Managing Director, Alpha Safety (centre) Owain Jones, Director, TRJ Ltd & Gareth Wyn Evans, Manager, CWIC

Led by CWIC in partnership with Alpha Safety and the Construction Industry Training Board Wales (CITB), the new academy opens later this month.

The partnership with Alpha Safety will enable a range of courses to be delivered locally to meet the needs of the construction industry. Alpha Safety has been one of the main construction training suppliers across wales for many years. This also means that students based in Wales and wishing to gain extensive scaffolding training will no longer have to travel to England or beyond to acquire a full set of skills.

The Scaffolding Academy is a purpose-built facility based on Fabian Way in Swansea Bay. Together with a satellite facility in Cardiff, our partnership will service the Welsh construction industry with a one-stop shop of access and rigging training.

The Academy’s first group of learners will embark on a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Accessing Operations and Rigging (Construction) – Scaffolding. An apprenticeship course in Wales has been long awaited by Welsh industry and this course is ideal for those looking to gain an industry-recognised qualification in scaffolding, while gaining the valuable vocational experience alongside their study at CWIC’s Academy.

Gareth Evans, Centre Manager at The Construction Wales Innovation Centre at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) said: “CWIC’s activities have already supported hundreds of employers in the construction industry across Wales. Our unique partnership is delivering world-class training and bespoke programmes for this hugely important sector to the Welsh economy. The new Scaffolding Academy provides access to leading facilities and expertise and it now gives Welsh employers the confidence to develop their employees and to recruit new entrants into the industry.”

He added: “CWIC are pleased to be working with the team at Alpha Safety and the development of this new facility will have a significant impact on up-skilling welsh workers within the scaffolding sector.”

The Building has undergone a £1.5million refurbishment, thanks to TRJ Construction and working closely with Alpha Safety, to create an Access Hall of 2,000 m2 including classroom and IT facilities to deliver the full range of working at height training to new entrants, apprentices, up-skillers, supervisors and inspectors. There are nine training bays and four dedicated classrooms, one with IT facilities.

Paul Jones MD of Alpha Safety said: “We’re delighted and honoured to have been chosen by UWTSD and CWIC to partner with them on this venture and it’s a tribute to the Alpha team that we’ve been recognised as being up to the challenge of developing the skills of people working in this important industry.”

To ensure that training meets the requirements of the scaffolding industry in Wales, CWIC has been consulting with the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) members, employers and CITB.

Mark Bodger, CITB Wales Partnership Director, said: “The new state of the art Scaffolding Academy will soon start training thousands of learners in their own country. We look forward to working with Alpha Safety, a holder of CITB Approved Training Organisation status, who bring considerable experience and expertise to these much-needed facilities.

“CWIC reaffirms CITB’s commitment to the construction industry in Wales and shows what can be achieved by working in collaboration with employers, education providers and Welsh Government.

“CWIC has already made a huge impact on the sector in Wales through its partners across the nation, and the SA1 hub will help the industry to deliver and expand on its ambitions.”

The addition of the scaffolding training centre to the Construction Wales Innovation Centre offer enables CWIC to build on the recent delivery of their immensely successful training courses and programmes which have spanned the past 3 years.

This period has seen the delivery of nearly 408 activities across Wales, supporting 691 Welsh employers and upskilling over 3,500 construction industry staff.  CWIC will build on this initial programme by continuing to support the industry through the provision of innovative and industry leading courses led from its Swansea based Hub and delivered across Wales through its extensive spoke and partner network.

Information for future courses and programmes are available at www.cwic.wales

University of Wales Trinity Saint David