BCTG Group, one of the top training specialists in the Midlands, has arranged a new series of “open afternoons” for potential trainees and employers.

The new monthly events start from 1-4pm on Friday 21 May at the Construction Skills Centre at Kelvin Way Trading Estate in West Bromwich.

With the timing closely linked to the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, there will then be additional open afternoons on the last Friday of every month from June onwards.

The centre hosts the theory and practical elements of skilled jobs like bricklaying, painting and decorating, plastering, roofing and cladding, as well as other courses.

Lisa Kelly, the business development manager at BCTG, said: “Now that people can start visiting again, we thought an open afternoon would be a great way of showing potential trainees how they can join the world of work.

“We’re inviting people in for a look around, a taster session if they wish, and even to sign up for next courses on the day.

“We’re also hoping to attract employers to take a look at the centre if they are interested in recruiting trainees and apprenticeships for their business.”

Ms Kelly explained that the Construction Skills Centre was targeting the government-funded training spaces at three groups of students living in the Midlands:

• 16 to 18-year-olds taking basic, pre-apprenticeship training courses
• post-18s taking Level 3 apprenticeship courses, and
• adults wanting to reskill or upskill.

She added: “With HS2’s ongoing progress alone, the construction industry estimates it will need an extra 50,000 trained workers.

“Even without that, the growth in housebuilding in this region, let alone the constant construction work underway in Birmingham, has created an urgent need for young building workers.

“Our Construction Skills Centre in West Bromwich can cater for up to 80 people at a time on a range of roll-on, roll-off courses, and we hope to be training hundreds of new people in the next few months.”

The BCTG open days will be operating in a COVID-19 safe environment, with appropriate social distancing applied.

Anyone interested can find out more can call 0121 544 6455 and select option 1, or there are more details on the BCTG website at www.bctg.org.uk.

Ends (365 words)

For further information, please contact:

Lisa Kelly, TAW Agency & BCTG Business Development Team Manager

T: 0121 544 6455 Option 1

E: lisa.kelly@theapprenticeshipworks.com

Note to editors: 

BCTG Group is a West Midlands-based training organisation which supports almost 10,000 young people and adults each year.

The group has ten sites in Birmingham, the Black Country, Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme, and includes PTP Training, trading as Performance Through People, BCTG Ltd, Eurosource Solutions, Further Training and The Apprenticeship Works.

The group offers 166 different types of apprenticeship, 84 different adult upskilling and reskilling courses and 27 pre-apprenticeship programmes for 16 to 18-year-olds. These include everything from healthcare and early years care to construction, engineering, manufacturing and logistics, through to business skills in IT, management and team leading.