Donation To Help Open Doors For Caerphilly Residents

A donation to a Caerphilly-based training provider will help upskill local people and open doors to employment. Robert Price Builders’ Merchants donated over 60 doors to Train and Grow to help them deliver community training programmes. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Train and Grow currently supports Caerphilly County Borough Council’s employment teams in the delivery of a number of projects, including LIFT and Communities 4 Work programmes. The donation of the doors will offer opportunities for participants to gain new skills and hands on experience of hanging doors, fitting locks etc. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In 2013 the council awarded a 10 year contract to Robert Price to supply the materials required for its Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) improvement programme. This programme will see the council invest £200 million bringing all of its tenants’ homes up to a specific set of standards by 2020. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

As part of this supply partner arrangement Robert Price has made a commitment to deliver a number of community benefits, including the donation of surplus materials to support local initiatives and the creation of jobs and training opportunities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Tessa Pike, Director at Robert Price, said “As part of our ongoing support to the community, we identified that by donating a large quantity of surplus doors to the LIFT and Communities 4 Work programmes we could help apprentice carpenters to practice their skills in the workshop. We are delighted that these materials have been put to such good use. We are continuing to work closely with the LIFT programme to provide valuable work experience opportunities helping people back into work. The feedback has been very positive.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr David Poole, the council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, added “The council is committed to ensuring that the investment made through WHQS is used as a catalyst for wider regeneration across the county borough and, as the council’s supply partner, Robert Price has a key role to play in this. The donation to Train and Grow is just one example of how this is being delivered. As well as finding new uses for surplus materials, the doors will be used to directly benefit local people who are accessing some of the employment support programmes being delivered by the council.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​