United Living South (Refurb) has backed CWOATA’s unique sponsorship programme designed to help local people find local jobs in the construction industry
The programme was piloted in the Stevenage area in mid-November, but United Living South (Refurb) expect to support the scheme in other areas, such as Dagenham, in the near future.
Harlow-based CWOATA (Construction Workforce Operative And Trainee Assessment) is unique in that it is the only company in the UK that offers newcomers to the construction industry an opportunity to experience life on-site before deciding to become trained in a construction-related trade. CWOATA does this through a 5-day course which accurately simulates the on-site environment. As this course is highly geared towards the CITB Health and Safety test, it also helps candidates get a CSCS card.
CWOATA’s 5-day PEAT (Pre-Employment Assessment and Training) course also allows the company’s experienced assessors to evaluate the basic employability skills of candidates, so they are attractive to construction companies as trainees. A high percentage are therefore placed (by CWOATA’s recruitment arm) in a local job after successful completion the PEAT course. Although some costs, such as the CITB H&S test, are charged, the PEAT course itself is free to candidates. The significant running costs of the operation are typically recovered from employers, which tend to be larger companies.
However, CWOATA’s sponsorship initiative removes the (relatively small) cost burden from candidates (the H&S test fee). It also removes any cost implications to employers, as CWOATA places candidates as part of the sponsorship, often within the Sponsor’s supply chain. The result is that sponsoring companies such as United Living South (Refurb) are helping to ensure that even more people can attend the CWOATA course, and a greater number of companies have access to candidates keen for employment.
As part of the CWOATA CISP (Construction Industry Sponsorship Programme), CWOATA will also (if required) source candidates and can, in most circumstances, provide transport to and from a given location.
“This is a genuinely unique programme due to the real work environment, the rigorous testing of candidates, and because of the high level of real job outcomes” said Jacquie Noon at United Living. “We are delighted to support it. The candidates get a lot from it, and it has made a significant contribution to our Social Value Commitments for the local community. We are very pleased to be helping local people find local jobs.”
About CWOATA: The founders of CWOATA recognised that there are systemic failures in the current skills provision system, in that many people are being trained in a trade before experiencing the on-site environment. This is very wasteful in terms of both funding and the candidates’ time and aspirations, and CWOATA was established in early 2017 to address the issue. The idea has been extremely well received, and the company’s CISP is rapidly attracting interest among companies with a CSR commitment.
