The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, officially opened the new Construction Skills Village in Doncaster at a launch event on Thursday 23 March. The new Skills Village is part of the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster which is currently being built by Willmott Dixon.

The launch event began with presentations by Anthony Dillon – Managing Director of Willmott Dixon Construction – Northern Region, Roger Morton – Construction Manager at Willmott Dixon Construction, Graham Ratcliffe – Managing Director at Northern Regeneration and Chris Webb – Principal at Barnsley College.

The partners explained in further detail why the Skills Village was created and how it will help students to gain a construction qualification together with real life practical experience by working at the Skills Village as well as on the National College for High Speed Rail.  The aim of the Skills Village is to help close the skills gap within the construction industry by providing the people of Doncaster with the opportunity to gain construction related skills in order to make them ‘work ready’.

The Mayor of Doncaster officially opened the Skills Village in a ribbon cutting ceremony and guests had the opportunity to see students working on construction activities. The Mayor spoke to the students to find out how the Skills Village is helping to equip them with the necessary skills required for a successful career within the construction industry. This was then followed by a tour of National College for High Speed Rail, due to open in September 2017.

The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, said: “The Doncaster Skills Village is a great project that is giving young people a practical introduction to construction in an exciting environment. What better place to inspire people than at the site of the new National College for High Speed Rail. It’s a fantastic initiative and I’d like to thank everyone involved in this partnership including Willmott Dixon, Northern Regeneration and Barnsley College.”

Anthony Dillon, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon Construction – Northern Region, said:  “This is a fantastic initiative that we are proud to be part of. The project is dedicated to attracting more people into the construction industry and is a great opportunity which will have a positive impact on the local community.”

Graham Ratcliffe, Managing Director at Northern Regeneration, said: “Thank you to The Mayor of Doncaster for officially opening the Skills Village. The partnership is now looking forward to working with local construction enthusiasts to develop their skills and knowledge by learning on a real-life site environment.”

Barnsley College Principal Christopher Webb added: “The Skills Village is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain the practical industry skills required for a successful career within construction. We are looking forward to working with our partners to help provide the next generation of skilled construction workers in Doncaster.”