New pathways to construction careers for young people in Bury
A third group of young people in Bury are being given a route into the construction industry through a job creation partnership between leading contractor Morgan Sindall Construction, Bury Council, and training provider, the Skills Construction Centre.
The programme is specifically aimed at young people currently not in education, employment or training (NEET), offering hands-on experience within a live construction environment.
The new cohort of ten students, aged 16 to 18, are working at Homer Street allotments in Radcliffe, where they are helping install new pathways to improve safe, all-weather access for local residents.
Each 12-week Introduction to Construction course covers drainage, foundations, highways and construction fundamentals, and enables students to gain a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card - an essential first step for anyone looking to work in the industry.
This is the fourth Morgan Sindall-led cohort in Greater Manchester, and the third based in Bury. The previous Bury cohorts were based at the site of the new Star Radcliffe Academy on Spring Lane in Radcliffe, where Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by the Department for Education to deliver a new permanent school building. A separate Jobs Club is also running for young people in Bury who completed those earlier courses but have yet to find employment. All the Bury cohorts follow on from a similar initiative at Dixons Brooklands Academy in Wythenshawe.
Steven Gregory, Area Director for the North West at Morgan Sindall Construction, said:
We’re proud to be working with Bury Council and Skills Construction Centre in Bury, and I’d encourage every young person on the programme to make the most of it. Work hard, stay curious, and this industry will reward you. Construction needs the next generation, and programmes like this one in Bury are how we find and develop that talent. By bringing young people directly onto real world projects, we're showing them what this industry really looks like - the variety, the career progression, and the very real opportunities available to them.”
A spokesperson for Bury Council said:
This partnership is about creating local employment and opportunities for our young people to learn skills and get a start in their working life. The partnership ensures people benefit from the regeneration taking place around them, so there’s a win-win for our communities.”
Donna Brennan, Business Development Manager at Skills Construction Centre, said:
Working alongside Morgan Sindall Construction and Bury Council, we’re giving young people a genuine first step into the industry - not in a classroom, but on a real, active construction site. For many of them, this is their first experience of a professional working environment, and watching that confidence grow over 12 weeks is what makes this programme so rewarding. We want them to leave not just with a CSCS card, but with a clear sense of where a career in construction could take them.”
Star Radcliffe Academy is a five-form entry, 750-place, 11-16 secondary school operated by Star Academies, one of the UK’s highest performing multi-academy trusts, with 36 schools nationally. The school opened in September 2024 in temporary facilities. The new permanent building on Spring Lane is now under construction - a three-storey, 6,000m² structure arranged as a superblock, with extensive external works and sports provision, including a new access road and drop-off area.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Chris Hulme M: 07971 350116 [email protected]