30 August 2007
Ten trainees sign up to transform Miles Platting
Ten young people aged 16 -21 years, including six from east
Manchester, have secured places on a new modern apprentice scheme
set up by the Renaissance Consortium with the support of New East
Manchester, Skills Solutions and MANCAT.
The ten trainees have initially been given a two-year contract
with housebuilder, Lovell or Adactus Housing Association.
They will either specialise in a particular trade such as plumbing
or plastering or train in a number of disciplines to become a multi
skilled operative.
The apprentices will all work on the redevelopment of Miles
Platting in east Manchester, a Private Finance Initiative that will
transform a 107 hectare (264 acre) area of Manchester, two miles
east of the city centre. The redevelopment work is being
undertaken by the Renaissance Consortium, which is a partnership
between national affordable housing provider Lovell, Adactus
Housing Association and Investors in the Community.
Tom Russell, New East Manchester's Chief Executive said: "We
have been working closely with Renaissance to create opportunities
for local people in the construction industry and housing
maintenance and management. This is a fantastic initiative
but only the start. By working together on recruitment we had
a tremendous response from local people with over 160 enquiries and
the standard of applicants was excellent. We look forward to
seeing many more young people benefit from this opportunity in the
coming years."
On behalf of the Renaissance Consortium, Lovell managing
director Stewart Davenport added: "The modern apprentice scheme
gives local youngsters a tremendous opportunity to build themselves
a career in the construction industry. A structured programme will
be created for each trainee consisting of on-site experience on the
Miles Platting scheme and training delivered at the Lovell Craft
Academy, the company's centrally-run national training centre, or
through MANCAT. We will be creating these kinds of opportunities
for local people throughout the regeneration programme, alongside
the physical improvements which are being carried out to the
area."
Damien Bourke, Policy and Partnerships Manager at the NWDA,
said:
"Improving employment prospects for young people is essential to
East Manchester's ongoing regeneration. The NWDA welcomes
this scheme, which provides opportunities for young people to gain
new skills through practical work experience and will help to put
them in a strong position to gain employment in the
future."
Renaissance signed a 30-year Private Finance Initiative contract
with Manchester City Council in March this year which saw the start
of a five-year comprehensive refurbishment programme by Lovell for
1,520 council houses and flats that will include kitchen and
bathroom replacements, double glazing, electrical rewiring, new
central heating and new garden walls or fences. Adactus Housing
Association also started a 30-year management and maintenance
programme for these properties for Manchester City Council.
The Renaissance Consortium will have a continuous rolling
programme of apprenticeships over the next 30 years as part of the
management and maintenance programme being carried out by Adactus
Housing Association.
In addition to the refurbishment of existing homes, the
regeneration scheme includes the creation of more than 1,000
new-build family houses and apartments. Lovell is expected to start
work on the new-build properties in 2008.
For more information visit www.neweastmanchester.com.
Ends
For further information contact Roz Hughes at New East
Manchester on 0161 223 1155
Notes to editors
New East Manchester Ltd (NEM) is an Urban Regeneration Company -
a partnership between Manchester City Council, English Partnerships
and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). It is
NEM's role to implement the Regeneration Framework, secure the
required public and private funding, lead on specific major
development projects as well as co-ordinate the range of
regeneration and renewal initiatives in the area.