Places for London, Transport for London’s wholly owned property company, through work with its training partner, The Skills Centre, and its construction and developer partners across London, has now trained more than 10,000 people through its Construction Skills Programme since 2019, helping thousands of Londoners into jobs and careers that are helping London grow.
Together with other public bodies and industry leaders, Places for London’s Construction Skills Programme trains people at its network of five academies on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Skills Centres at Earls Court, Edgware and Bollo Lane, and, most recently, the Green Plant Academy, the only dedicated training facility for operating construction vehicles in London.
All five academies are equipped to train people on a range of skills to help people into the construction industry, helping people become dryliners, formworkers, steelfixers and much more. The training available includes in-work National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), apprenticeships, trade‑based skills to specialist courses. Learners can also work towards gaining their Constructions Skills Certifications Scheme (CSCS) card – a nationally recognised accreditation, which proves that those working on UK construction sites have the training and qualifications. The Green Plant Academy allows people to learn how to operate a range of construction vehicles, with a focus on zero and low emission vehicles to help demonstrate innovation and best industry practice.
The Skills Centre, Places for London’s skills partner, has been key to the network of Places for London’s skills academies. The Skills Centre looks for innovative ways to bring training to building developments and shares Places for London’s aim to train those local to the building sites, helping to ensure their communities can play their part in the development of the ever-changing city.
TfL Image – Construction Skills – Rainbow Moonah (pictured far left)
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Following their training, learners have gone on to work on developments across the city, including on Places for London’s housing developments and other sites being brought forward by Places for London’s construction and development partners, helping deliver homes and more to London.
Rainbow Moonah did a four-week drylining course with The Skills Centre and Places for London at the Build East Skills Centre and two weeks later she was invited back to apply to be a construction technician, helping the centre prepare tools keeping the yard tidy and ready for training. Now working at the Centre, she’s looking forward to doing more training with Places for London and The Skills Centre, such as mobile plant work and brick laying, as she looks forward to taking the steps to further her career in the construction industry.
Former trainee Michelle Gayle is one of the 4,200 people who has gone on to a career in the industry since her training at the Build East Skills Centre. She attended an all-women construction course recommended by Places for London in 2024, then progressed to hoist training before finding her new career as a hoist operator with property developer Barratt London. She’s found a diverse workforce with women working at all levels and wants to encourage other women into the industry even if they’ve never considered the field before.
