Providing opportunities for people to come in and experience your business is crucial. Some residents have never stepped into a construction environment before and do not always know the expected behaviours of this setting. A placement or shadowing opportunity could be for an individual or for a small group. This could last a few hours, up to a full week, or one day per week for a longer period.
Support for construction employers
The construction industry in Salford faces challenges such as recruiting skilled workers, addressing skills gaps, and retaining talent—but we’re here to help you overcome these barriers and build a stronger workforce.
Build Salford
Build Salford is a consortium of construction employers, social housing providers and key support agencies which offers a unique traineeship programme for Salford residents. Salford is calling on construction employers, small and large, to join the Build Salford consortium to improve the growth of the construction sector and give residents a pathway into the industry.
Build Salford is committed to helping residents people find real work and training opportunities in construction. We work with Salford City College Group to deliver an annual flagship traineeship to develop work placements for their college trainees, and are developing new programmes with many different employers to help residents enter and move forward in the local construction industry.
To find out more about how you can get involved with Build Salford and how it can help you engage with local talent, email build.salford@salford.gov.uk
Benefits for your business
- assistance with achieving CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) targets
- access to a local talent and labour pool
- networking with our other partners
- recruitment support for office and support functions through the Salford Employment Hub
- development of your business, including business advice and quality standards
- promoting your business over multiple networks
- gain apprenticeship and training knowledge specific to the industry
- give back to the local area that supports your business
Case study
Kenny, Head of Health and Safety at DOMIS
"It’s been a pleasure working alongside Build Salford. The support and guidance has been invaluable, they’ve truly acted as a one-stop shop, consistently signposting us to the right services. This has allowed us to focus our time and resources where they’re really needed — supporting people in securing new roles and experiences."
Ways you can support
Work shadowing, placements and apprentices
Many people have a limited view of what is available in the construction industry due to their lack of experience, so providing them with a broader view is important. Hosting a Q&A is an opportunity to provide key information about your sector, how it’s developing and what skills, attitudes and behaviours you look for in new employees/apprentices.
Provide a ten to 20 minute interview with someone so they can showcase their skills. Many people will be daunted by having an interview, so providing a supportive session to consider what type of answers they can give will go a long way.
Provide a tour around your organisation or live site, show off the key areas of the business so the attendees can see the breadth of departments involved in its running. Try to pay specific attention to any of the more ‘exciting’ areas, especially where they may be practical. Allow them to ‘meet’ your colleagues whilst they work. Show them the canteen and break areas.
Residents who have specific career ideas or job roles in mind, or those who are very unsure, would benefit from having one-to-one discussions with people from the world of work.
Financial support for Build Salford
The Build Salford Consortium has historically relied on voluntary contributions to sustain its operations, with employers contributing funding that addresses various needs, including traineeship costs, equipment provision, and reducing barriers for participants. Examples of financial support that other employers have provided:
- funding for industry-specific training such as:
- asbestos awareness
- working at height
- Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)
- sector-specific tool bags
- funding for basic work equipment
- training space locations
- funding for events or industry-specific job fairs
To find out more about how you can get involved, email build.salford@salford.gov.uk