Neighbourhood Stories
Barnsley Community Build
Over 250 pupils are being given the chance to develop a career in the construction industry after the success of an innovative pilot training programme run by Barnsley Community Build (BCB) in the academic year 2006/07.
BCB exceeded all expectations by providing skills training in brickwork and painting to 117 young people in the pilot year. The pilot scheme was set up to provide an alternative option to school or college, for 14 – 16 year olds. The first year success stimulated over 250 bookings from 15 local schools, for this academic year (2007/08).
In addition to construction skills training, BCB also offer courses to provide horticultural and administration training and employment opportunities to many other groups including the long-term unemployed, the disabled and redundant workers.
BCB’s courses were being delivered from two ‘live’ training centres, which were proving too small to house the ever-increasing capacity of new trainees. BCB applied to the Key Fund for a capital growth grant of £50,000 to allow them to expand to include two new buildings. However, this still left a gap in BCB’s finances so the Key Fund also provided a loan of £50,000 to complete their finance package. Both properties had been empty for over four years and were in desperate need of modernising. BCB had struggled to get unsecured lending from high street banks, making the support from the Key Fund particularly valuable. The funding has been used to cover the cost of purchasing the materials needed for the refurbishment of the two properties. Without this support BCB would have seriously struggled to continue to accommodate all of the new students on a long-term basis.
BCB are now continuing to work towards becoming self-sustaining by growing and developing further to provide more training and hopefully be in a position to assist pupils when the school leaving age rises to 18.
