9 July 2018

Construction Minister Visits Battersea Power Station

A Construction Leadership Council (CLC) meeting, which Richard Harrington MP is Co-Chair of, was held at Battersea Power Station before he was shown around the site by Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) and Mace.

Richard Harrington MP also visited the new Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) test centre which opened at Battersea Power Station in June and met with a number of apprentices who have recently received their CSCS cards.

The main purpose of the CSCS centre is to provide a free ESOL and CSCS testing service to Battersea Power Station site workers across all phases and for the local community. The aim is to enhance both English language and maths skills on-site, supporting upskilling and career development.

Richard Harrington MP, Construction Minister, said:

“With almost half of the economy reliant on the built environment and its services, the Construction Sector Deal is key to achieving the vision set out in our modern Industrial Strategy. The sector employs nearly one in 10 working people in the UK, giving it unparalleled potential to develop skills right across the country to meet the demands of digital and offsite construction and build greener, affordable and more energy efficient buildings throughout their lifetime.

“I saw first-hand how Battersea Power Station’s apprentices on the Construction Skills Certification Scheme have benefited and I’m delighted that as part of the Deal we’ve committed to increasing the number of construction apprenticeship starts, creating 1,000 Construction T Level placements by 2020 and investing £34m to scale up innovative training models throughout the country.”

Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), said:

“We strongly believe that construction plays a key role in supporting the UK’s economy and therefore welcome this announcement. The investment into skills training and apprenticeships is particularly key in ensuring the industry remains world-class and sites like Battersea Power Station continue to be delivered.

We have over 3,000 operatives working on restoring this iconic building and turning the wider area into a new town centre and therefore a dedicated training and apprenticeship programme was put in place at the beginning to support this project. Hundreds of apprenticeships have been awarded on this site and it remains a key priority of our shareholders to invest in skills to ensure we continue to have a talented and productive labour force for the remainder of the project.

It was a pleasure to show Richard Harrington MP around the Power Station on such a momentous day for the construction industry.”

Mark Reynolds, Chief Executive of Mace and Construction Leadership Council skills lead said:

“The Construction Sector Deal’s focus on innovation and Modern Methods of Construction is extremely important and welcome, and we were very pleased to welcome the Minister for Construction, Richard Harrington and the Construction Leadership Council to our Battersea site on the report’s launch day.

Our industry is now in the midst of a perfect positive storm which is forcing businesses to change how they deliver projects. If we can transform ourselves we can boost international exports, enhance regional growth and increase productivity which will result in more sustainable margins and opportunities for our people.

The pledge to create 25,000 apprenticeships by 2020 and 1,000 construction T-level placements is also welcome. I would encourage everyone in our sector to embrace T-levels a fantastic way to develop the work force of the future.

This deal is a great start. A step on a path to a brighter future. We now need to transform ourselves and do so at pace.”

Once completed, the restored Power Station building will include over 250 apartments, over 500,000 sq ft of office space and over 100 shops, restaurants and cafes. When completed in late 2020, the building will become the heart of the wider 42-acre mixed use scheme.