Online construction course launches in West Midlands

A range of new construction courses in virtual classes has been launched by the Birmingham-based training provider RMF Construction Training Academy.

The courses have been funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, as part of its Construction Gateway programme.

The programme offers unemployed people a free, hands-on introduction to construction skills – providing them the ‘tickets’ and qualifications they need to be site-ready for work.

The online classes, which started last week, enable candidates from across the West Midlands to access construction training, including an industry-specific Level 1 in health and safety, as well as plant machinery training on dumper trucks, ride-on rollers and excavators.

Learners will be able to gain qualifications which are essential to work on any site, such as the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, and more in-depth courses including City and Guilds accredited Level 2 NVQ in rail engineering track maintenance.

Groups of up to 12 will be able to take part in the courses, which will vary in length from three days to 10 weeks depending on the course and each learner’s previous experience, with more than 50 people already signed up.

‘We know this is a very difficult time for the region, but when we emerge from lockdown, we will still have skills shortages in key sectors, including construction,’ said West Midlands mayor, Andy Street.

‘And there are job vacancies now in the infrastructure sector, which means some people who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 have an opportunity for a new start in construction.’

Dara McCarthy, operations manager at RMF Construction Training Academy, added: ‘We’re proud to be working with the WMCA to enable local people to continue to learn construction skills during these challenging times.

‘We have filmed a series of video tutorials for our trainers to deliver digitally, and each candidate will be assigned an adviser who will assess their experience and develop a training plan.’

More information is available on the RMF Online Training website.

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