Students tour site earmarked for new construction training centre

Students have been given a tour of site where a new training centre for construction skills will be built as part of housing development led by the Devonshire Group.

As part of its Mastin Moor scheme, at Staveley, a new Construction Skills Hub will be created, where training will be provided by Chesterfield College and the University of Derby.

The hub is a key project led by Chesterfield Borough Council and funded through the Staveley Town Deal.

It will provide specialist training and career insights for thousands of learners in Staveley – creating opportunities for people to start, stay and grow in the town.

It will equip learners with the skills they need to access careers in the construction industry while also providing them with experience on a live construction site, as the hub will be located within the Mastin Moor scheme, which will consist of 650 homes.

Recently, a group of career-minded students, who will be the first to study at the new hub, joined project leaders to visit the site to see how the development is progressing.

Students were enrolled onto the programme in September and have started their learning at Chesterfield College while development of the Construction Skills Hub is ongoing.

They will be based on the site from April as supporting construction of the hub will form part of their practical experience during their first year on the programme.

Andrew Byrne, property development director for the Devonshire Group, said: “The Construction Skills Hub is set to provide incredible opportunities for local students looking to gain the best possible start to a richly diverse career in the sector.

“Ensuring that the construction and property development industry has a strong pipeline of upcoming talent is pivotal to its progressive future success, so I have no doubt that we’re as excited as the participating students by the opportunities promised by the hub.”