Untangle Red Tape on Building Training-Government Urged

JOBSEEKERS are being prevented by red tape from getting the training which would help them take advantage of Liverpool’s building boom.

That is one of the major findings of a Liverpool city council scrutiny panel examining how local people can get the maximum benefits from the construction industry.

Now the Government is being asked to consider introducing flexibility to a Jobcentre Plus rule under which people who are claiming Job Seekers allowance are restricted to only 16 hours of training per week or face having their benefits suspended.

Cllr Roger Johnston, who chaired the Local Employment and Construction Industry Panel, said:- “It emerged during our deliberations that one of the key issues was the 16 hour rule. This is a real barrier to people who want to get skills which would enable them to find work but are effectively prevented from getting the level of training needed.

It is a ludicrous situation when there is a national shortage of skills in the building industry that we have people willing and able to get those skills but are penalized if they try to do so. It is particularly important in the construction industry as people need experience on the building sites.”

The scrutiny panel was established following claims that local people are not benefiting from the high level of construction work currently taking place in the city. It met 10 times and heard evidence from contractors, employees, training providers, trades unions and individuals involved in the industry.

A number of key issues as well as the 16 hour rule -emerged during the hearings:-

· The tendering process which needs to promote long-term development of skills at work including sub-contracted and self-employed workers.

· Low Skill Base – Liverpool is perceived as being an area with low skills and contractors look elsewhere to fill the gap + Health and Safety and Quality – Clients are increasingly requesting that contractors’ workforce are qualified under the Construction Skills Certification Schemes, a benchmark for competency for health and safety and quality

· Mobile workforce – Building contractors generally operate in several areas – including internationally - and it is impractical for them to carry a large directly employed workforce. Instead it is standard practice to sub-contract work. This results in employment of a proportion of workers from the local population but outside contractors for special elements of work.

· Appropriate career guidance which should be offered by Liverpool First partners.

The panel has made 22 recommendations. These include recommending that contractors who fail to deliver on commitments to use a specified proportion of local labour could be excluded from tendering for public sector contracts.

It also calls on the city council to improve its support for local people to get jobs in construction by building on the success of its People Pool construction team which has helped more than 370 people enter the industry in the last two years and more than 800 receive training.

Public sector agencies will be asked to direct more support to help local people gain necessary skills to gain local employment and training opportunities and also support qualified, experienced people.

The panel is also calling for a Local Skills Agreement to be promoted. This would ensure that training meets the need of the industry more relevantly. Contractors will also be asked to review arrangements for using self employment and sub-contractors. It also calls on training agencies to work with migrant workers to ensure they have UK qualifications.

Cllr Eddie Clein, Chairman of the Regeneration Select Committee, said:- “This is a very important issue for the city and we were aware of the levels of concern that local people are missing out on the huge level of building work.

Although there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that local people cannot find work on major building projects little firm evidence has been provided to the scrutiny panel.

There was also evidence from major sites that a high proportion of local labour is used. The council is limited in what it can do but what we can do is urge contractors to use local builders and when the council is the client can stipulate – as far as legislation allows - the use of local labour and monitor the situation.

It also became clear that there is not one solution which will lead to local people being guaranteed jobs but we need a series of initiatives which will give local people a better chance of getting work.”

The panel’s report will be considered by the Regeneration Select Committee on 29 March 2006.

COMMUNITY GET TOGETHER

A FUN community day got people involved in a huge consultation in Toxteth.

The Tiber Project is gathering local people’s views on what to do with a patch of land in Tiber Street, L8, which is now a derelict field. The ideas are infinite and then practical decisions will be made on a new community centre for the area.

Liverpool City Council leader, Cllr Warren Bradley, said:- “It’s really important to get local people involved in this process as they will be the ones using the finished centre and we value the opinions of young people just as much. A community day like this will highlight the consultation and get people feeling truly drawn in to develop what will hopefully be a great resource for Toxteth.”

There has already been a steering group set up who have taken part in a photographic project to identify the good and bad parts of the neighbourhood. The community day communicated the results of this consultation of young people. Activities included free food from different nationalities which live locally, flag making workshops, henna tattooing, drama workshops, live music and dancing plus yurts and tepees.

Project co-ordinator Steph Tyrrell said before the event:- “To truly get a diverse and inclusive feel to the Tiber Street Centre, we need to get a fusion of communities who live in the area. The project will truly breathe life back into what is currently a derelict field. This day is all about getting everyone involved and there’ll be something for everyone.”

The different youth organisations having an input are The Greenhouse Project, Somali Youth Organisations, Kingsley Football club, Toxteth Tigers and The Liverpool Arabic centre.

BIKERS SAVING SEVERN LIVES

IT'S 3am and the operating theatre is hushed. The surgeon carefully closes the lid on the transport box. "Make sure it's blue-lighted across town within 45 minutes..." The nurses glance nervously at each other. How's that going to happen?

That's the dilemma that Severn Freewheelers has been created to solve. Severn Freewheelers is a group of motorcyclists who transport urgently needed medical supplies after hours and during public holidays, when the alternatives are thin on the ground. The Group officially 'launched' on 1 March 2007.

“We're often referred to as ‘blood bikes’. Using our specially adapted motorcycles we help local Health Authorities by providing, fast, safe and efficient transport at night between hospitals, nursing homes and other NHS facilities throughout the Severn region.

We carry urgently-needed blood samples, biopsies, MRI scans, sometimes medical equipment for Intensive Care Units and even patient notes." said spokesman Gordon Downie.

Although all the riders are voluntary there are major costs, not least purchasing the bikes themselves, which are equipped with sirens and blue lights for emergencies. Insurance was another headache – and not just because of the cost. "We need special cover, because the bikes are modified, and we need an 'any rider' policy. Once the insurers we spoke to heard that, they mostly hung up!"  explains Gordon.

Luckily Bikesure was different. The company not only offered to insure Severn Freewheelers, it offered to do it for free. "When we were approached by Severn Freewheelers it was obvious that this was a cause where we'd be able to use our skills to help. Sponsoring the insurance fits into our philosophy to give something useful back where we can." says Bikesure's Robert Balls.

Bikesure has previously been involved with campaigns to raise awareness of diesel spills and help provide first response training for people arriving at the scene of an accident where a biker has been involved.

Currently Severn Freewheelers has 22 members, all volunteers, who act as riders, telephone coordinators and fundraisers. All the riders hold an advanced motorcycling qualification from RoSPA or the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists), and are trained in Emergency Response.

“We have only been able to launch our service thanks to our generous sponsors,” said Gordon. Bikesure are one of three 'platinum' sponsors, the other being Castrol and Qinetic. Running costs are around £20,000 per year, but that pales into insignificance compared not only to the vital work the charity does, but also to the estimated cost saving to the NHS, that is around £300,000 per year.

Severn Freewheelers has the ambitious target of providing four motorcycles by the end of 2007, the first is a specially-adapted Honda Pan European and the charity is currently in negotiations with Honda and BMW to purchase the second.

Gordon adds:- “We’ve got off to a great start, but to maintain the service we need to encourage more volunteers, sponsors and those who can offer expertise to come forward, as well as much-needed cash."

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