Lives Transformed Through Council Improvement Programme
A £200 million council home improvement programme is continuing to transform the lives of local people through the creation of new jobs and training opportunities.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) programme will see all of its tenants’ homes brought up to a specific set of standards by 2020. Works being carried out as part of this programme include new kitchens, bathrooms, central heating systems and external improvements.
In 2016/17 the council received £7,340,000 from the Welsh Government Major Repairs Allowance which contributed to WHQS improvements.
The council’s in-house workforce is undertaking a proportion of the improvements and, as a result, recently appointed 7 new apprentices across a variety of trades to work on the programme. In addition, 3 previous WHQS apprentices successfully gained permanent positions with the team.
Cllr David Poole, the council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, said “As well as transforming tenants homes, the council has made a commitment to ensure the investment being made into WHQS is maximised to deliver wider benefits across the county borough.
The council’s housing division has a long history of supporting apprenticeships; recognising the invaluable opportunities they provide in offering people training and qualifications, alongside gaining hands-on experience in their chosen career. It’s excellent to see that the WHQS investment is being used to create new apprenticeship opportunities for local people.”
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