Career Colleges Trust tackles construction digital skills gap with Oaklands College with roll-out of new curriculum framework

Career Colleges Trust (CCT) gathers pace in its mission to tackle the lack of sector-specific digitally skilled talent entering the construction industry with the onboarding of Oaklands College. The CCT employer-led Digital Construction Framework, sponsored by Sir Robert McAlpine, will help shape Oakland’s curriculum to prepare learners with the skills and knowledge needed for tomorrow’s jobs. The roll-out of the CCT Framework is part of Oakland’s investment in its construction offering, and from 2023 students will learn in a new state-of-the-art purpose-built facility.

According to CITB’s research, the South East needs an extra 23,000 skilled workers by 2026, stating there is a particular lack of appropriately skilled talent in digital and green skills. And in a recent survey by Balfour Beatty and the Supply Chain Sustainability School, 96% of respondents said that they are experiencing a shortfall in access to skilled talent. The CCT Framework was developed to connect industry and education to address the gap in operational level digital skills.

Andrew Slade, CEO & Principal of Oaklands College, shared:

“It’s an exciting time to work with Career Colleges Trust and its employer board to make sure we prepare our learners with digital literacy skills appropriate for the construction industry. The skills gap is widely reported, compounded by the rapid change in technology and rate of innovation, driven by the need for green homes and energy-efficient infrastructure.

“Construction is definitely an exciting career choice for learners, so it’s vital that we work with employers and industry to help address the skills gap head-on and deliver a clear talent pipeline – choosing the right partners is paramount to our achievement of this. Career Colleges is one of those partners; their Digital Construction Framework will connect us with industry experts to shape our curriculum and support our students and staff with a range of CPD, webinars and the opportunity for site visits.”

Andrew added: “And the completion of our purpose-built state-of-the-art construction facility will create an exciting and stimulating space for our students to learn and grow their industry knowledge and skills to enter the sector work-ready.”

Career College’s CEO, Bev Jones, said:

“Oaklands College’s vision and curriculum innovation is an example of an educator taking action to collaborate with industry and develop the skills needed by the construction sector, leading the way in Digital Construction education – this is great news for learners, industry, and employers alike.

“For the UK to meet the demands of tomorrow’s world, creating energy efficient homes and achieving Net Zero – workers entering the construction sector need to be equipped with the skills employers need. And to make sure colleges can deliver the talent pipeline, there needs to be more collaboration across industry, government, professional bodies, and education. Our Digital Construction Project, funded by Sir Robert McAlpine, aims to play an active role in moving the dial forward to connect employers and educators, helping them address the skills gap.”

Bev concluded: “There are so many exciting careers in construction, some exist now, and some are yet to be created, so we need to come together to make sure we don’t fail the new talent pipeline and their future work opportunities.”