The Craven Herald: News from across skipton and surrounding areas.

`How we built new careers in construction'

From the archive, first published Friday 18th Nov 2005.

Three Bradford men who have turned their lives around to follow a career in the construction industry have been praised for their dedication and commitment.

Akeel Hussain, Sajjad Rehman and Azir Arif were named amongst the UK's best YouthBuilders at the National YouthBuilding Awards 2005. They all picked up their awards at a ceremony in Cardiff.

YouthBuild is sponsored by the National House Building Council, which provides training, qualifications, housing and employment for young people who might not normally have the opportunity for work in the construction industry.

The projects offer on-site experience and classroom-based training, as well as wider personal and career support.

Here in Bradford the YouthBuild project helps 16 to 21-year-olds to develop the skills needed to work in the construction industry and ultimately link up with a company for apprenticeship training. Akeel, 21, from Girlington, explained that he was struggling to find a career that suited him when he joined the Youthbuild project.

He explained that the organisation not only helps individuals to get on to courses in construction, in Akeel's case plumbing, but also helps each person to get an apprenticeship.

Akeel was taken on by Harlow & Milner Ltd and went on day release to Bradford College. Now nearly three years later he has completed his NVQ level one in plumbing and will soon completed NVQ level two.

Sajjad, 19, turned to the YouthBuild project after finding himself in trouble and in a Young Offenders Institution. Because he missed his GCSEs he was worried that he would end up in a dead-end job. But after hearing about the YouthBuild project at college Sajjad showed a determination to succeed, having passed his prevocational exams, and in now working towards completing his NVQs.

Azir, 18, also turned to the project after trouble at school. Since joining the project Azir has applied himself and is currently working towards his first NVQ in wood skills. Akeel and Sajjad were highly commended for their work and received £750 each to put towards further training. Azir, who was commended, received £500.

Archive Home