Whitefriars’ Training & Development Agency

The Agency was formed by Whitefriars Housing Group Ltd in 2000 as an integral part of the housing stock transfer process.

The Agency’s Key objectives are to minimise contractors’ labour and skills shortages by working with them to identify and address their employment and training needs, and to ensure that local people, communities and businesses benefit from the employment and training opportunities created by Whitefriars with its £240 million pound investment in improvements.

The Whitefriars Agency works to engage local people through its work in communities and neighbourhoods, providing them with skills and employability training, moving them into employment and continuing to support them; and supporting local and sub-regional employers with free training programmes for their new and existing employees.

In 2001, the Chartered Institute of Housing recognised the work of the Agency by awarding Whitefriars ‘Highly Commended’ in its Regional Innovation Awards for the development work undertaken to engage, develop and employ its ethnically diverse tenants, local communities and businesses.

In 2002, Whitefriars was declared ‘Winner’ of the Chartered Institute of Housing’s 2002 Regional Innovation Awards, and Finalists in the 2003 National Awards.

Employment success – creating jobs for local people

Between 2001 and 2004, a ‘Neighbourhood Renewal Fund’ programme based in Willenhall and Stoke Aldermoor created 35 local Intermediate Labour Market and Mainstream jobs, and trained over 200 local residents in a range of construction and non-construction programmes.

During 2003, a Local Learning and Skills Council ‘Workforce Development’ programme worked with 26 local, small construction businesses, to enable 46 employees to gain NVQ Level 2 in Construction Trades and Safety qualifications. Of the 46 employees trained, 17 were from minority ethnic backgrounds, demonstrating Whitefriars’ and the Agency’s commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity.

In addition to the Agency’s recognition by the Chartered Institute of Housing, Whitefriars and the Agency’s community engagement and employment activities were finalists in the ‘sustainable regeneration initiatives’ 2003 National Innovation Awards. The Agency’s efforts and successes have also been recognised by the Department for Trade and Industry’s Constructing Excellence’s Housing Forum, who, in December 2003, asked Whitefriars to take a lead role in the launch and delivery of a national Demonstration Project – ‘Sustainable Training for Sustainable Communities’.

The national Demonstration Projects links Whitefriars with similar initiatives across the Country, providing opportunities for us to share and receive ‘good practice’ in ensuring and the improving the diversity and inclusion of all our customers and communities.
In 2005-6, the Agency delivered and supported a number of communities, schools and refugee programmes aimed at ensuring that all local people are aware of the opportunities provided by construction employment within Coventry, and received a national Construction Skills award that recognised the success of our diversity and equality work with local people and construction businesses.

It also successfully delivered the first year of the £1.2 million pounds Learning and Skills Council funding, managing a partnership of seven other local training providers as well as delivering our own qualification and job training programmes to local people and businesses.

• For more information on the Agency, contact Nev Wells on 024 7676 7194.