Building for the future: the Construkt programme, run by Serious About Youth, is keen to offer more courses as routes into the construction industry
The Construkt programme, now celebrating its 10th year, has a 70% success rate in launching participants into construction-related careers and further training.
The people behind it says that in its first decade, it has diverted more than 350 young people away from risk of becoming part of a “lost generation” and into the building industry.
But the founders of the project, which is run by Croydon-based social enterprise Serious About Youth, are appealing to construction companies to help them scale up the programme to incorporate greater numbers of participants.
Construkt was created in large part as a response to the deadly increase in the youth murder rate in south London. It is now reckoned to be one of the construction industry’s most successful training programmes for underrepresented young people, particularly from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, as well as for young women, and those who have had a disadvantaged start to life.
Construkt takes participants through design principles; Building Information Modelling; the bidding process and tender presentations; the skills needed to gain employment; and culminates in course members building a large-scale timber structure based on a live construction project.
The course also teaches course participants the life cycle of construction projects, and allows them to gain exposure to the different career paths available. It also involves preparation for what comes after the course, including writing a CV, professional social skills and interview skills. And finding a job is made easier due to representatives of construction companies attending an end-of-course celebration evening.
Success stories: the class of 2024 at the end of their Construkt course. Several have been taken on by building firms through apprenticeships and trainee schemes
“Construkt is designed to give participants the confidence, knowledge, skills and ambition to work in the construction sector, and prepares individuals in how to work collaboratively in a positive team environment,” according to Serious About Youth.
“We’ve established Construkt as a successful training model that’s achieved a lot in the last 10 years,” says Rommell Wallace, co-founder of Serious About Youth.
“But with further support from the construction industry, we can do so much more to help young people on to positive paths that don’t just help individuals themselves but those around them, the communities in which they live, and the companies that employ them.”
Wallace says that there are two or three Construkt courses taking place each year. “The reality is this could be four or more courses, and for this we need more course partners.
“The construction sector can play an even bigger role in positive transformation, and in doing so gain from talent that could easily be lost forever.”’
Courses are aimed at 16-to-25-year-olds from under-represented backgrounds, particularly women, and “NEETS” – those not in education, employment or training. More than 80% of Construkt participants come from BAME backgrounds.
BAME individuals are significantly underrepresented in the building industry – 40% of Londoners are BAME, but they make up only 6% of the construction sector workforce in the capital. Only 13.6% of the building trade is female, with only 1% in skilled trade roles. Construkt makes a practical contribution to addressing gender bias with, on average, 25% of participants being women.
Roll out the barrow: Louis Bienaime at work in the community as part of his role with Wates
And this all at a time when there’s a massive skills shortage in the industry.
Wallace created SAY with Paul Matthews in 2010 in response to the rise in youth murders and knife crime. Matthews works as an engineer in the construction industry. Their aim was to do something different to make an impact on the futures of young people who find themselves led down negative paths. They started Construkt in 2014, building on Matthews’s personal knowledge and experience of building a career in the industry as a black man.
The course has encountered its own tragedies. In 2019, one of Construkt’s young participants, having just successfully completed the programme, was killed in a stabbing. His sister had undertaken the same course at the same time, and through continued support whilst she grieved, SAY was able to assist her to obtain a quantity surveying apprenticeship with Balfour Beatty.
There have been other, more positive outcomes. Louis Bienaime was on the last course that took place, in February this year. After appearing in court for a minor misdemeanour and receiving a fine and community service order, the Construkt course was highlighted as an option for the 23-year-old. While completing the course, Bienaime met Jamie Clancy-Toomey, social value manager at Wates, and was offered a customer services apprenticeship on the housing maintenance contract for Croydon Council.
Four others from the course also joined Wates as either apprentices or on work experience, with the longer term prospect of a permanent position.
The aim for Construkt’s 11th and future years is to increase that success rate. The only restriction is the amount of support received from construction companies.
“We have a proven track record in creating opportunity for those too easily bypassed because of their background, and enabling them to fulfil rewarding careers that contribute to the success of employers and communities as a whole,” Wallace says.
“With greater help, we can do so much more.”
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Good work. Let’s put these lads in charge of Croydon’s house-building programme