14 May 2007
Construction firms linked up with homelessness charities and government representatives last week at a conference aimed at helping homeless men and women find work.
At a time of increasing demand for building skills and labour, Re: Building, held in central London, identified the issues that prevent homeless individuals gaining jobs within the construction sector, and explored the solutions to overcome them.
Delegates discussed the benefits and barriers for employers, homelessness organisations and homeless people themselves.
They also confronted common assumptions around the abilities, aspirations and employability of homeless individuals.
The conference was chaired by Jeremy Swain, Thames Reach Chief Executive. He said: “This conference is not a 'talking shop' but a call to action. The construction industry requires skilled, reliable and motivated employees and there are many homeless people ready to step up to the plate.
"At the end of this conference we want homelessness agencies and construction industry companies to be absolutely convinced of the benefits of working closely with each other.
"Most importantly, we want to see former homeless people getting and keeping jobs and being exemplary members of the workforce.”
The keynote address was by Sir Michael Latham, Chairman of ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry.
He said: “ConstructionSkills is committed to delivering a safe, professional and fully qualified construction workforce; helping the homeless enter the industry is an important part of this commitment to the construction industry.
"We are involved with a range of projects aimed at the unemployed, disadvantaged or under-represented groups. We support the Construction Youth Trust to deliver programmes throughout the UK helping them to introduce often overlooked people to the construction industry.
The challenge is not a simple one and if we are to succeed we need to ensure we can elicit concrete and scheduled commitments from both construction firms and homelessness agencies. Today’s event is an important step towards that goal.”
Other delegates included the heads of leading construction firms such as Balfour Beatty, Bovis Lend Lease, Argent, Esh Group and Costain. The day culminated in a debate chaired by broadcaster and journalist Simon Fanshawe.
