New training centre to launch in Telford

Harry Wilkinson is to open Teach A Trade Ltd – a new venture based in Halesfield 23 in Telford.

The centre is set to create about five new jobs initially and is looking to offer the first courses to students in January.

Mr Wilkinson, 28, said: "Teach A Trade will provide a wide range of courses including plumbing, gas, electrical, plastering, tiling and bricklaying that will be suitable for all abilities. Each with the common goal of gaining a recognised qualification in the participants chosen trade.

"We cater for new entrants into the industry with introductory courses leading to nationally recognised vocational qualifications. Teach A Trade also offers a range of re-assessments and additional courses for current tradespeople looking to keep up-to-date with their training or even diversify.

"Teach A Trade courses are more intensive than any traditional forms of construction training, allowing the trainees to get hands on experience from day one.

"The course durations will range from our introductory courses of 14 days to gain a basic understanding of tiling, plastering or plumbing to more involved courses such as becoming a fully qualified gas engineer or electrician. These courses are split up into two parts, comprehensive training at the centre and vital on site experience that involves building a portfolio of jobs. This work experience will be completed alongside an experienced and fully qualified engineer. Teach A Trade will help to facilitate that process."

Mr Wilkinson said the rise in unemployment caused by the Covid pandemic has meant it is more important than ever to help people to gain new skills.

"Covid has put a delay on the launch of the training centre, however many businesses and individuals have had to make many hard sacrifices over the past year so we must all work together to create opportunities moving forward," he said.

"One of Teach A Trades’ core objectives is to be an essential part of enabling local people to utilise their transferable skills to gain re-employment.

"My aim is for Teach A Trade to become the Midlands number one construction training centre. I have set a target to retrain 1,500 people over the next five years."

Mr Wilkinson, who has been a plumbing and heating engineer for the past 10 years, started his career in the construction industry.

"Reflecting back on finishing school I had the fortunate opportunity to begin a career in the construction industry. Ten years on and I can appreciate how beneficial that opportunity has been for me and I want to be able to provide this for others being it school leavers or people transferring their skills towards a new career.

"During the last 10 years I had regular conversations with customers within Shropshire who expressed their difficulty in finding tradesman, further encouraging me to explore how this gap in the market can be filled. Teach A Trade will serve to satisfy that demand."