26 November 2024 | All News
We’re delighted to announce our latest milestone – awarding our 8,000th Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation in trade skills!
Since becoming an accredited City & Guilds training provider in 2018, we’ve continued our mission to offer young people practical experience, qualifications, and career pathways whilst completing impactful renovation projects for valuable community spaces. See how we’ve done this on over 900 projects across England and Wales so far.
Feedback from VIY’s annual Independent Quality Assessment consistently praises the organization’s high standards in training and assessment, cementing our strong commitment to quality.
This milestone comes at an exciting time, as we expand our programmes to pilot qualifications in retrofit and green skills—a response to the increasing demand, and subsequent skills gap, for sustainable practices in the industry. New qualifications we’ll be offering include:
- City & Guilds Entry Level 3 in Health & Safety and Environmental Awareness
- City & Guilds Level 2 in Retrofit
- NOCN Entry Level 3 and Level 1 in Energy Efficiency & Sustainability
- NOCN Level 2 in Understanding Retrofit
Empowering Young People for a Brighter Future
According to Angharad Beynon, Policy, Stakeholder, and Partnerships Manager for City & Guilds (Nations and Ireland), VIY is uniquely positioned to offer young people their first step toward a career in construction:
“It’s said that the first step on a journey is the most important one. VIY’s programme offers that first step for young people, providing a bridge into apprenticeships. Just as importantly, it offers invaluable support and City & Guilds recognition, which serves as a powerful motivator for young people to continue their journey.”
This was the case for VIY learner, Anthony Sartin, 22, from Cardiff, who recently earned his Entry Level 3 accreditation in Health & Safety through VIY at Gabalfa Youth & Community Centre. This set him on a path toward future success in the trade sector, as he went on to successfully gain a place on a Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship with V&C (SW) Limited in Cardiff.
Voices of Experience: Mentors and Industry Support
Adrian Llewellyn, a VIY Lead Mentor in the West Midlands with over 25 years of trade experience and 17 years in special needs education, sees the transformative impact VIY has on young people:
“I see the true value of VIY’s work every day. We share skills and experience in the trade, guiding learners as they complete meaningful renovations. Many of our learners may not have considered construction as a possible career path, and VIY helps open that door.”
Our work is made possible through strong partnerships with organizations like Dulux, one of our dedicated National Partners. Peter Howard, Sustainability and CSR Lead at AkzoNobel, shared his admiration for the work we do together:
“We’re incredibly proud to support VIY’s community projects and training programs. This collaboration not only builds up young people’s skills and confidence but also plays a role in addressing the construction industry’s skills gap. VIY exemplifies the power of partnerships across sectors to help secure a bright future for our industry.”
Community Impact and Local Government Support
Since January 2022, we’ve worked with Nottingham City Council as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Councillor Ethan Radford, Deputy Leader of Nottingham City Council/Executive Lead for Skills, Growth and Economic Development and Labour Councillor for Bulwell, praised VIY’s contributions to local investment priorities and skill-building:
“VIY’s community programmes are an invaluable asset to Nottingham, contributing to our investment priorities, People and Skills and Communities and Place. By engaging young people who are farthest from the labour market, they’re helping to break down employment barriers and build community resilience. Over 400 local young people have benefited, gaining both volunteer experience and accredited qualifications.”
Looking Forward
This 8,000th accreditation marks an important milestone, but it’s just one step in our journey since we began in 2011 – see our First 10 Years here. Here’s to the next decade of skills training and community development together with a growing range of partners like City & Guilds by our side!
