TRAILBLAZING construction school the AccXel learning centre awarded their employer partners for their role in “constructing futures” for students this month. 

Accxel – the UK’s first construction skills accelerator centre founded to tackle the skills shortages in the industry – presented the Constructing Futures Awards to partners at its 2023 ‘AccXtravaganza’ on December 1. 

Persimmon Homes Severn Valley (pictured) were one of the award winners, landing a bronze for its funding of three apprenticeships at the Cinderford-based college.

Persimmon’s Severn Valley business provides hundreds of jobs and constructs scores of homes every year from Gloucestershire to Somerset. 

Its nearest site to AccXel is Fiddington Fields at Tewkesbury.

Persimmon Construction Director Robert Simpson said: “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Accxel and Persimmon’s apprenticeship tradition so it was an honour for us to win this award.

“Persimmon is not only a builder of high-quality homes for local people but a major employer of skilled workers across the region which is why Accxel is a natural institution for us to work with.

“We look forward to continuing our work with Accxel and congratulate them too on a very successful year which was rightly celebrated at this event.”

Natalie King, Operations Director and Vice Principle of Accxel, added: “We are thrilled to recognise Persimmon Homes as one of our award-winning Employer Partners for 2023.

“It has been a pleasure to work with the team, and we are delighted that Persimmon Homes appreciate the long-term value of investment in their people and the younger generation coming into the industry.

“We look forward to working with them into the future, as together, we are, Constructing Futures.”

The ‘AccXtravaganza’ event featured workshops and competitions where Accxel staff and students showcased their skills and facilities, including construction vehicle simulators.

Co-funded by the Government, local enterprise partnership GFirst LEP and Cinderford-based construction company KW Bell Group, AxxCel launched at the beginning of 2022 and has garnered widespread praise ever since, including from Her Royal Highness Princess Anne earlier this year.

The centre, which is the UK’s first co-funded, industry-led construction school, was established to tackle a skills shortage which the team say is “plaguing” the industry.

The team aim to boost the sector by recruiting new talent, helping the existing workforce progress to the next phase of their career and connecting both the education and industry sector to “accelerate new skills”.

For more information, go to www.accxel.co.uk.