Businesses find out about school transformation opportunities

Date added: 22 February 2012

Over 100 delegates from businesses around Wolverhampton found out more about some of the opportunities available to them thanks to the city's £270m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Representatives were able to introduce their businesses to Carillion, Wolverhampton City Council's main contractor for the huge school transformation scheme, and its sub-contractors at the Meet the Buyer event at Molineux Stadium on Thursday 16 February.

Lee Barker, Senior Buyer from Carillion, said, "The event was a big success and a number of useful contacts have been made between Carillion, our sub-contractors and many of the businesses who came along to the meeting. We will be looking to develop these partnerships further as the BSF programme progresses.

"Sub-contractors working on the programme, include those carrying out groundworks and providing furniture, fittings and equipment and mechanical and electrical services, have committed to employing local people and so we hope that there will be plenty of opportunity for local businesses to get involved in the BSF programme."

Councillor Phil Page, Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Learning, added, "The use of local companies and local labour in the BSF programme is hugely important for the city council and we have required Carillion to do so. It is vital that we use BSF to stimulate the local economy.”

Sub-contractors are already hard at work on the schools which make up the first phases of the scheme, with construction progressing well at Highfields School, Penn Fields School, The King’s Church of England School and Tettenhall Wood School. It is also under way at Coppice Performing Arts School, Wednesfield High School and South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy.

Work will commence at Colton Hills Community School, Moreton Community school, Our Lady and St Chad’s Sports College and St Edmunds Catholic School in April 2012.

Wolverhampton’s BSF programme will lead to the complete rebuilding or substantial refurbishment of 25 secondary schools, including two new academies, in the city by 2014. To find out more, please visit www.wolverhamptonbsf.org.uk

(Pictured above: On Carillion's apprenticeship table are Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Learning Councillor Phil Page, apprentices Joe Chard, Ryan Bennett and Zak Horrobin and Carillion Training Services Officer Julie Fitton.)