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Secretary of State for Education visited the Operator Skills Hub

Last week we were delighted to welcome Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education to our dedicated training facility, the Operator Skills Hub. The visit followed the Prime Ministers announcement of plans to revolutionise skills and training opportunities via the Skills Accelerator Program. This paves the way for the government to do more to help companies like us to get people the right skills for work.

During his visit, we demonstrated the training opportunities available, talked about the skills required from those joining the construction industry and how Flannery and the Skills Hub are working hard to deliver a safe and efficient workforce to our busy sector.

It was great to see Gavin Williamson spending time with Flannery apprentices who were keen to tell him of their future plans, industry experience so far and what they enjoy most in their apprenticeships. As part of the tour, we were keen to demonstrate the state-of-the-art training simulators used to prepare plant operators and apprentices for the demands of the modern-day digitally enabled construction site.

Gavin Williamson was keen to focus on the importance of developing people and equipping them with the right skills to support some of the UK’s most ambitious infrastructure projects:

“As we recover from the pandemic, we recognise that skills and making sure that people of all ages have the right skills, have got to be the heart of that recovery. Driving jobs, driving productivity, and driving growth for the whole country. Balfour Beatty and Flannery are making a real impact in people’s lives and giving them skills to start successful careers”.

Martin Flannery, Managing Director explained:

“Enabling local people to gain the specific skills and upskilling our existing workforce is crucial and we are keen to provide a consistent, quality training experience to keep our valued operators engaged in what’s happening in construction. We are also keenly focused on supporting those who want to start a new career in construction, inspiring the next generation to join a thriving industry that can provide a truly sustainable career path. This is particularly relevant now, at a time when so many are looking for a route back to work.”

You can find out more about Flannery training opportunities here.