Member Article

Building college wins Balfour Beatty training contract

LEEDS College of Building has secured a contract with multinational construction and infrastructure group Balfour Beatty, to deliver Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship in Sustainable Built Environment training to 13 of the firm’s most promising young quantity surveyors.

Brian Duffy is Leeds College of Building’s Higher Education Faculty Director. He says: “Three years ago we became one of the first college’s in the UK to offer university level higher apprenticeships, which were immediately embraced by the construction industry and have become a huge success. We are delighted to now be working with Balfour Beatty, which demonstrates the high standard of training we offer, as well as our ability to understand the needs of the construction industry’s leading employers.”

The bespoke two and a half year programme includes a HND Construction and Built Environment qualification, together with the NVQ5 Construction Management (Sustainability) programme that are both tailored to suit quantity surveyors. The quantity surveying apprentices participating in the programme are all working on major national projects including Cross Rail in London and the M60 and M3 motorway improvements.

The apprentices will complete six fortnightly block release sessions per year in order to complete their HND and will be assessed in the workplace by Leeds College of Building’s assessment team to complete the required evidence for the NVQ5 Diploma.

Brian adds: “The course is designed to demonstrate all the latest methods of design, construction and maintenance, as well as encouraging candidates to consider the environmental impact of all their activities. It will greatly enhance the surveyor’s career progression and enable them to add value within Balfour Beatty as the company continues to grow and develop.”

Kevin Webber from Balfour Beatty, says: “We considered several training providers but Leeds College of Building’s understanding of our requirements and its ability to create bespoke courses to meet our individual requirements, made it the ideal partner for this programme.

“The course offers all the sustainability competencies that are key to the future of the industry whilst maintaining the core requirements that are essential in construction management, which makes it a highly relevant framework and there’s no doubt it will be hugely beneficial to our team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Steven Wright .