34 service leavers joined the latest BuildForce online chat over three hours posing a range of questions about the industry to our panel of experts. Hosted by the BuildForce team, members of the expert panel included former service-leavers who have succeeded in the industry and were on-hand to offer advice on the best routes into construction. Employers were also present to offer their advice on what the industry is looking for.

The BuildForce online chat was supported by the Career Transistion Partnership (CTP) whose Live Chat facility links Service Leavers with potential...

There will be a champagne reception, a three-course supper and, new for this year, gospel music from the Reapers Choir. You can get a sneak preview of what they sound like here .

When: Thursday 3rd December from 6:30pm

Where: Carpenters' Hall, Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2JJ

The Budding Builders project consisted of learners completing a Level 1 Health & Safety Award to enable them to apply for a five year...

This week Wales was sad to let go of one of the Trust’s longest serving members of staff. Lydia Bailey, who has been a construction trainer on the Budding Builders programme for five years, is heading back to university to progress with her studies into education. Lydia has been a pioneer of Budding Builders and is a well known and well loved face across South and West Wales, and we are sure our readers will join us in wishing her all the best in the future.

On a more positive note, we do have some new faces at The Trust, who we look forward to introducing to you very soon...

Mark the day in the calendar, for today we bid farewell to our friend and colleague Katie Letchfield [Business Development and Volunteer Coordinator- we were going to go with a longer title] who is leaving the Trust after just over two amazing years.

Katie has achieved so much during her time at the Trust, from helping to shape our corporate engagement strategy, to helping to find volunteers for our programmes - probably all while arranging a food tasting for an event we are hosting; and naturally, with a smile and the classic Letchfield positive solution focus!

Katie of...

Construction Youth Trust’s Budding Brunels and Wales teams came together last week to deliver a Budding Brunels programme funded by CITB Cymru with students from Coleg Gwent. Blaenau Gwent is a key area for the Trust’s work in Wales, as a 2012 report by Save the Children revealed that 20% of children and young people in the area were living in severe poverty and 14.3% of the working population were unemployed.

Eighteen young people spent three days gaining an insight into the opportunities for education and employment available in the construction industry. Highlights...

On Tuesday 23rd June Construction Youth Trust celebrated over a decade of supporting young people in Wales into construction training and employment at the Senedd. The event was hosted by Assembly Member for Caerphilly Jeff Cuthbert AM and attended by members of the Assembly, representatives of the construction industry and invited guests. The evening was a fantastic opportunity to hear about the significant work of the Trust in Wales against the stunning backdrop of Cardiff Bay.

Introduced by Jeff Cuthbert AM for Caerphilly, guests were invited to sign pledge cards on the evening...

We are very excited to announce that Construction Youth Trust has been shortlisted for the Aviva Community Fund for our ‘Better Bettws’ project. Each shortlisted project can receive ‘votes’ on the website. In June judges will decide which projects get the funding but the amount of votes a project gets will be taken into consideration. Please show your support for the project and vote for it on the Aviva Community Fund website. There is a short registration process and you will receive 10 votes to use. You can find the project here: https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk...

Last week saw the end of a successful series of taster apprenticeship courses in Wales. Construction Youth Trust Cymru worked in partnership with Swansea County Borough Council to help recruit young locals for their construction apprenticeships which included positions for electricians, bricklayers, plasterers and plumbers. The short courses were held over a series of days at 3 different community centres in Swansea throughout March, with the aim to provide young people aged 16-25 with a taster of what an apprenticeship would involve in addition to supporting them with the application and...

The Trust is delighted to have recently received Evolve Exemplar Employer Status from Chwarae Teg, a charity which supports women to enter the workplace and develop skills in Wales.

Chwarae Teg’s Agile Nation Project, funded by the European Social Fund and Welsh Government, supports examples of innovation and action by organisations committed to sustainable, fair and progressive working practices.

The Exemplar Employer Award recognises businesses that have moved above and beyond legal compliance in the areas of equality and diversity to create flexible workplaces and...