Toolstation helps young people learn building and trade skills
Toolstation is supporting the Volunteer It Yourself social enterprise as it looks to help more young people learn practical trade and DIY skills and consider a career in the construction and building industry.
The initiative involves young people in helping to repair and refurbish community facilities whilst learning vocational trade skills on the job.
The move comes against a backdrop of a shortage of workers in construction and figures showing that employment in the sector fell from 2.3 million in 2017 to 2.1 million at the end of 2020.
Toolstation said its first project saw 28 volunteers aged between 14 and 24 create a new outdoor social and exercise space at Coventrians Rugby Football Club. This involved repaving an existing patio, building and fencing a new pagoda and redecorating a changing room.
Some 26 of the volunteers earned an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds Accreditation and four of the young people from the special educational needs provision earned multiple accreditations. In total, the group spent 420 hours on this project learning hands-on skills and gaining meaningful work experience.
Toolstation also funds the City & Guilds accreditations, skills training, and mentoring of the volunteers.
Greg Richardson from Toolstation said “We are really proud to support the Volunteer It Yourself programme and to help young people learn practical trade and building skills and earn an entry level qualification. The construction sector is facing a shortage of workers and we hope that our support in this initiative will inspire more young people to consider entering the trades.”
Toolstation plans to fund a further six Volunteer It Yourself projects throughout the year and aims to help over 150 young people gain qualifications and consider a career in the trades.
