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Planning consent granted to Hewlett for new Training Centre
Hewlett Civil Engineering has received planning consent from South Staffordshire Council for an application for the development of a 5 acre (2 hectare) site close to the M54 motorway.
The plans, which were approved by the council’s planning committee at a planning meeting on Tuesday 20th April, called for temporary use of land at the i54 site in Wobaston Road, Wolverhampton as a major Civil Engineering Training Centre that will replicate the operational environment of a ‘live’ construction site.
In addition to providing a range of CITB, NVQ and CPCS accredited training and assessment, the purpose built centre will offer Civils Manual Training such as pipe laying, concreting and Streetworks activities; Earthworks Plant Training encompassing Telehandler duties and crane operation plus larger construction plant training. The Training Centre will also house administrative offices and classroom facilities and will create around 16 full-time employment positions.
Hewlett has already developed close links with regional educational establishments such as South Staffordshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall Colleges with a view to providing work experience for trainees seeking NVQ and other accredited construction skills qualifications. It is anticipated that some 20 trainees will be accommodated on the site, with a high staff to student ratio appropriate to the health and safety aspects of the relevant activities.
The site has been made available on a temporary basis for five years until it is required for development. Hewlett plans to start work on site in early May.
Managing Director of Hewlett Civil Engineering, Alan Cooper thinks the training centre will be a real asset for the West midlands. He says: “A training centre which meets the needs of the construction industry does not currently exist in the West Midlands. Now, with this planning approval that has changed! Our hope is that the training centre will equip local residents with the skills to compete for construction employment opportunities in the future and we are delighted to not only show our commitment to the development of the areas construction capability but to the economic regeneration of the Black County.
“Achieving planning has been a supreme effort by all concerned and it is testament to our longstanding relationship with our i54 partners that we can now begin to deliver this new and exciting training centre.”
Hewlett Civil Engineering has a reputation as one of the leading Civil Engineering Training Providers within the UK. The company has unique experience in the development of training programmes to suit individual needs through its existing 10 acre construction training site in Leeds which offers an extensive range of training programmes for both employer and employee, covering a wide spectrum of disciplines from telescopic forklift training to safety and managerial courses.