The Skills Centre has officially opened its new Southwark construction training base at the Surrey Quays shopping centre where guests also celebrated the graduation of 16 successful trainees.
The Skills Centre has been working in partnership with Southwark Council for 10 years, training local people in pre-employment and construction skills that are mapped to local employer vacancies. It helps people take their first step into the construction industry, as well as providing progression routes into specialist skills and management roles via NVQs and Short Courses. Local businesses can also benefit from general health and safety training, such as first aid, fire marshal and manual handling.
The Skills Centre and Southwark Council launched their first training programme together in 2016, including the launch of The Skills Centre’s flagship training space at Elephant Park. That was closed to make way for development in 2021 and the training facility was moved to Canada Water. Now, The Skills Centre is on the move again, this time to its new base at Surrey Quays shopping centre.
Between 2017-2025 the partnership created £29.31 million in social value and economic value, through training, employment and local engagement projects, with an independent report finding for every £1 invested, an estimated £22 of social and economic value was returned.
Since then, The Skills Centre has launched training facilities on major projects across the UK, including Earls Court, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Birmingham, Coventry, Bicester, Essex and Kent. Future growth is planned on other major developments and infrastructure projects across the rest of the country, including Milton Keynes, East Anglia, further development in Southwark, Lower Thames Crossing and beyond.
Councillor Rachel Bentley, Southwark Council’s Executive Member for Inclusive Economy, Equalities and Democracy officially opened the new facility. She said: “Since 2016, the Skills Centre has supported more than 7,000 residents build careers in construction and I’m delighted to welcome them to their new home at Surrey Quays.
“That success comes from giving local people the skills, qualifications and confidence to access good-quality jobs, so that the opportunities created by major developments in our borough are shared by our communities.
“This is what an affordable, safe and green Southwark looks like in practice: secure jobs that help residents with the cost of living, a local workforce trained to work safely, and the skills we need build a greener borough. Today’s 16 graduates are proof of what’s possible, and I look forward to seeing many more local residents benefit from the opportunities The Skills Centre creates in the years ahead. Hats off to all involved!”
Shanai Harris-Sherwood, one of trainees who celebrated her graduation at the opening, said: “Before starting my training at The Skills Centre I was a BMX racer and also did weightlifting, and am now on the Team GB Pathway for 2026/27 for weightlifting. I came to The Skills Centre through the Millwall Community Trust Hub, who referred me to the course.
“My time at The Skills Centre has been incredible, I have learned so much about job opportunities, personal development, I have spoken to different employers, and it’s opened my eyes to the different opportunities open to me in the future. The biggest skill I have got from this course is confidence; it has helped me figure out where I want to go in the future and shown me the range of opportunities there are in the construction industry.”
Jon Howlin, CEO of The Skills Centre, said: “We are so proud of the work we have done with Southwark Council in the borough, and we are delighted to be continuing the partnership with this new venture. The Skills Centre is dedicated to bringing construction opportunities to the community. CITB predicts that over 27,000 new construction employees will be needed in London by 2030 and our collaborative approach makes these jobs accessible by bringing employers, local authorities and local people together.
“Our partnership with Southwark Council in 2016 was our first opportunity to test and prove that our model could transform lives, and we are so pleased that now in 2026 residents are continuing to benefit from our employment-focused collaborative approach to construction training.
“Together we are ensuring skills training leads to employability, and this wouldn’t be possible without support from our employer networks. Their input defines our syllabus, their engagement provides learners with vital insight and experience, and their commitment to supporting new entrants creates the pathways for our learners to launch their careers. We were delighted to welcome British Land, London Square, Keltbray, Sisk and other local partners to celebrate the graduation of our latest cohort and the opening of this brand-new training space.”
